Ch: caochonghua. Paintings of insects and plants,
where various kinds of insects including bees, butterflies, and grasshoppers,
set among flowers and grasses, are depicted in a distinct thematic genre. Although
souchuuga were very popular in Changzhou (Jp: Joushuu ķB), China, from
the Song to the Ming dynasties, and many extant examples are found in Japanese
collections, Japanese artists seldom did this type of painting. A rare but well-known
Japanese example is a large hanging scroll depicting various insects around a
pond by Itou Jakuchuu É”įt (1716-1800), which is among a set of 30 scrolls of
The Animals and Plants in Colors Doushoku sai-e ®Ać\G (1770; Imperial
Collection). |