Eight Views of Xiaoxiang

A scenic spot in Hunan Province, China. The Eight Views of Xiao-Xiang, south of Lake Dongting, have been the subject of many poems and paintings. Xiao is the Xiao River, and Xiang is the Xiang River. The place where these two rivers join and flow into Lake Dongting has long been known as a place of magnificent scenery, and the eight views are mainly of evening, such as sunset, autumn moon, night rain, and snow at dusk. These are the eight views of green storms in the mountain city, sunset at a fishing village, night rain at Xiao-Xiang, sails returning to the distant port, evening bells at Enji, autumn moon at Dongting, wild geese on the flat sand, and snow at dusk on the river. In China, it has been used as a subject of painting since the Song Dynasty, and works were imported to Japan from the end of the Kamakura period, with examples of Gyokukan and Mokkei being introduced. In addition, among the early ink-wash landscape paintings in Japan, there remains a study-like work from the end of the Kamakura period called "Heisa Rakuganzu," which became a major theme in Chinese painting, including the Kano school. In later generations, other famous places of scenic beauty were selected in imitation of this work, such as the Eight Views of Yamato, the Eight Views of Omi, and the Eight Views of Kanazawa.

[Shinya Hoshiyama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、湖南省の名勝。洞庭湖の南の瀟湘の八景で、詩や絵画の主題に取り上げられて多くの作品がつくられた。瀟は瀟水、湘は湘水で、この二つの川が合流して洞庭湖に注ぐ所は古くから絶景の地として知られ、夕照、秋月、夜の雨、暮れの雪などおもに夕暮れの勝景八つを取り上げている。すなわち、山市青嵐(さんしせいらん)、漁村夕照、瀟湘夜雨、遠浦(えんぽ)帰帆、烟寺(えんじ)晩鐘、洞庭秋月、平沙落雁(へいさらくがん)、江天暮雪の八景。中国では宋(そう)代から絵画の題材として描かれ、日本には作品が鎌倉末から輸入され、玉澗(ぎょくかん)や牧谿(もっけい)の作例が伝来している。また、わが国初期水墨山水画に鎌倉末の習作的な平沙落雁図が残っており、以後狩野(かのう)派をはじめ漢画の主要な主題となった。なお大和(やまと)八景、近江(おうみ)八景、金沢八景など、後世これに倣って選ばれた名勝が各地に生まれた。

［星山晋也］

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