Hayashi Buntō (1882–1966) 
Plum Blossom Studio 
Japan, late 1910s 
Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk 
Gift of Terry Welch, 2021 (2021-03-036)

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Plum Blossom Studio makes for an interesting comparison with Buntō’s other work in this exhibition, Scenes of Kyoto. The latter, a pair of handscrolls, is done in a loose, lightly colored style considered Japanese (as opposed to Chinese) and associated with haiku poetry (haiga; also distinguished as Japanese in opposition to poetry in classical Chinese). In contrast, the present work is more formal, with meticulous brushwork and a carefully arranged composition. Several features indicate that this is a Chinese, rather than Japanese scene, beginning with the round moon gate; the white plastered walls; the latticed windows; the glazed roof tiles; and even the blossoming plum trees, which were associated with Chinese literati culture (as opposed to Japanese cherry blossoms). 
 
Buntō traveled to China several times, and his attention to detail makes the scene immediately identifiable as a southern Chinese garden. Early in his career Buntō participated in the annual national exhibition. However, he became increasingly dissatisfied with its restrictions, and together with Iguchi Kashū (see Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō), Ueda Banshū (see Scene from the South) and others he founded the Japan Independent Painting Group in 1919, offering artists an alternative to the government-sponsored exhibition.