Katsuda Tetsu (1896–1980) 
Persimmons Ripening 
Japan, late 1910s–1920s 
Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper 
Gift of Terry Welch, 2021 (2021-03-110)

VIEW HI-RES IMAGE
 
Two children in the lower right stand under a tree full of persimmons, behind which low cottages with traditional thatched roofs can be seen. From the ripening persimmons the season is understood to be early autumn. This is further conveyed by the predominantly warm tones of tan and red, which are balanced by the cool white storehouse visible behind the tree in the center, as well as the blue highlights of trees and hills in the background and the boy’s blue kimono in the foreground. The painting is at once nostalgic in its subject, but also innovative in its brushwork, color combinations and composition, perfectly expressing the complex artistic sentiments of the 1910s–1920s. 
 
Tetsu studied at the Kyoto School of Arts and Crafts. After graduating he entered the studio of Yamamoto Shunkyo (see Mount Fuji from Miho no Matsubara), one of the school’s most influential professors, where he further became associated with Kawamura Manshū (see Waterfall). He was an active participant in the annual national Teiten exhibition, and after WWII he became a member of the Nitten Association, which eventually took over organization of the Teiten when it was privatized in 1958.