Not currently on view
In the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · as of August 2026
FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART’S CATALOG
The Kano school was a group of professional artists patronized by the shogun from the late Muromachi period to the Edo period. The group adopted themes of reclusiveness to convey the importance of loyalty to the shogunate. A leader of the Edo Kano school, Kano Tanyu paired Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove and Four Elders of Mt. Shang to reference a painting of the same theme attributed to Kano Motonobu. Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove refers to the elites who escaped the social chaos of China’s Wei-Jin period (AD 200s–400s); they fled to a secluded bamboo grove where they could express themselves freely, enjoying pure conversation, music, and wine. The other screen, Four Elders of Mt. Shang , depicts the scholars who left the turbulence of the late Qin dynasty to pursue their scholarly interests in seclusion on Mt. Shang in Shanxi province.
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Sesshū Tōyō (Japanese, 1420–1506) — Birds and Flowers in a L
Kano Shōei (Japanese, 1519–1592) — The Four Accomplishments
Kano Shōei (Japanese, 1519–1592) — The Four Accomplishments
Maruyama Ōkyo (Japanese, 1733–1795) — Literary Gathering in 
Soga Shōhaku (Japanese, 1730–1781) — The Eight Immortals of 
Unkoku Tōeki (Japanese, 1591–1644?) — Chinese Pavilions in a
Kano Naonobu (Japanese, 1607–1650) — Summer and Winter Lands
Matsumura Goshun (Japanese, 1752–1811) — Scenes from Essays 
Watanabe Shikō (Japanese, 1683–1755) — Eight Views of the Xi
Matsumura Goshun (Japanese, 1752–1811) — Scenes from Essays 
Sesshū Tōyō (Japanese, 1420–1506) — Birds and Flowers in a L
Landscape with Motifs from the Eight Views of Xiao-Xiang
