Precipitous Rocks and Rushing Water

Shunkin was the son of Uragami Gyokudō (1745–1820), whose miniaturized landscapes are displayed nearby. Unlike his father, Shunkin was immersed in the practice of ink painting from a young age, and during his lifetime was the better-known painter. These extraordinary, almost extraterrestrial scenes of piled rocks and flowing water may have been inspired by the cult of strange rocks among Chinese scholars. Shunkin’s dry brushwork is orthodox compared to his father’s, incorporating texture strokes reminiscent of the famous Chinese ink painter Ni Zan (1301–1374).