The theme of the four seasons is presented here through a collaboration between four artists: two painters and two poets. The work begins on the right with spring, represented by Fusetsu’s painting of Kannon 観音 (the bodhisattva of compassion), followed by Hekigotō’s summer haiku, Izan’s autumn landscape, and concludes with Kyoshi’s winter poem.

Fusetsu and Izan were both painters trained in Western-style painting (yōga 洋画), though they also engaged with traditional Japanese painting styles. They were part of the circle of intellectuals and artists that gathered around Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規, the reformer of haiku poetry.

Hekigotō and Kyoshi, both poets and calligraphers, were disciples of Shiki and frequently collaborated with their painter colleagues. Their calligraphic styles are markedly different, as can be seen in this work: Hekigotō’s unconventional script contrasts with Kyoshi’s intricate cursive style, in which ink density and lightness are skillfully balanced in a highly personal visual expression.