Aspiring to an Ideal Life by the Water: The Joy of Fishing and Reclusion

The Scholar Weng Songnian Collecting Water Shields
By Dou Cishan (1647–1728) and Weng Songnian (1647–1728), China, Qing dynasty, 1712 (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujirō)

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 8
March 24, 2026 (Tue) - May 10, 2026 (Sun)

In ancient Chinese literature and thought, the motif of the fisherman has long been associated with a longing for freedom from worldly constraints. This ideal was carried into painting, where themes such as “the joy of fishing” and “fishing in reclusion” developed. Through works from the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing dynasties (1644–1911), this exhibition presents the idealized world embodied in images of people living by the water.

Major Work(s) on Exhibit 7 results

	Designation	Name		Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance	Period	Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number	CMT
Highlight		The Scholar Weng Songnian Collecting Water Shields		By Dou Cishan (1647–1728) and Weng Songnian (1647–1728), China	Qing dynasty, 1712	Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujirō, TA-197
	Important Cultural Property	Solitary Angler on a Wintry River		By Zhu Duan (dates unknown), China	Ming dynasty, 16th century	TA-121
Highlight	Important Cultural Property	Fisherman	Hanging scroll	By Zhang Lu (dates unknown), China	Ming dynasty, 16th century	Lent by Gokokuji Temple, Tokyo
Highlight		Fishing in Solitude with Pines on the Shore		By Gu Dashen (dates unknown), China	Qing dynasty, 17th century	TA-278
Highlight		The Joy of Fishing	Hanging scroll	By Li Zhu (dates unknown), China	Ming dynasty, 16th century	Private collection
		Landscape		By Wang Jianzhang (dates unknown), China	Ming–Qing dynasty, 17th century	Gift of Dr. Hayashi Munetake, TA-599-2
		Poem and Landscape in the Style of Sheng Mao		By Xu Kui (dates unknown), China	Qing dynasty, 17th–18th century	Gift of Mr. Ichikawa Santei, TA-6-2

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