"Tessai became a dragon in his 80s," said Taro Odakane, the leading researcher of Tessai studies, who states how, as Tessai became older, his paintings grew more youthful through his use of bold and colorful brush strokes. This work was made in 1912 when Tessai was 81 years old.

In addition to the vivid color contrast between the towering green mountains and the scarlet cinnabar, the work conveys a sense of Yugen (mysterious profundity) that seems to float in the air, inviting viewers to an enchanted land.

The inscription contains, "Seikanjitoku (wait-and-see mode)" which is derived from the Northern Song Confucianist poetry, and the “江山風月本無常主閑者便是主人” is by Soshoku (Chinese: Su Shi) a literati figure Tessai greatly admired. The poem describes how there is no owner of beautiful nature such as rivers, mountains, the wind, and the moon. In other words, the natural landscape is solely for those who love their beauty quietly. A work of refined aesthetic and conceptual appeal, this painting is a symbol of the Buddhist belief that nature is the face of the truth.

Learn more about Tomioka Tessai, here