This scroll appears to be written as a memorial to a trip to the 88 Temples of Shikoku (Hachijuhakkasho) by Fukuda Kodojin and a group of fellow travelers in 1914. Ink and light color on silk in a coffee-colored silk border with pale piping and wooden rollers. It comes in the original wooden box titled Reiseki Junpai-zu. The scroll is 46.7 x 207 cm (19 x 81-1/2 inches) and is in overall fine condition.
Within the literati tradition, Gassaku, or collaborative works, represented a deeply meaningful mode of artistic and intellectual expression—celebrating shared creativity, scholarly refinement, and human connection, all central tenets of literati philosophy. Unlike official or professional art, these collaborations were often created in informal settings—poetry gatherings (kōkai), drinking parties, or private retreats— capturing a moment of shared joy or philosophical musing where spontaneity, wit, and philosophical reflection flourished. This informal context gave rise to works that were deeply personal, ephemeral, and sometimes humorous. Some collaborative works subtly expressed political views or cultural critiques, especially during times when direct dissent was risky. The process of collaboration often held greater value as both social engagement and intellectual play, where the process itself held more meaning than the finished piece.
Fukuda Kodojin (1865-1944) was an eccentric self-taught artist, his status as a poet, calligrapher and literati artist has reached legendary status. Born at a time of great change (4 years before the final fall of the Edo Government), he lived through the westernization of Meiji, Taisho Democracy, the rise of Imperialism and final defeat of the Showa eras. He was part of a small group of artists existing outside conventional circles in pre-war Japan. He moved to a village outside of Kyoto in 1901, where he supported himself and his family by privately tutoring those who wished to learn Chinese-style poetry. Kodojin was simply a scholar. His poetry, painting, and calligraphy all stem from a life-long cultivation of the mind. He was said to have taken the time just before his death to destroy the large portion of his own remaining work, leaving only that which must have met some personal criteria. Kodōjin’s paintings and calligraphy survive mainly in private collections, but significant works can be found in the collections of the British Museum, Freer Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institute, Honolulu Museum of Art, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Museo Kaluz, New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, Portland Art Museum, Seattle Art Museum, St. Louis Art Museum, Tanabe City Museum of Art and Wakayama Prefectural Museum of Art among others including such well known Private collections as the Cowles Collection, Hakutakuan Collection, Manyoan Collection and Welch Collection. Twenty five paintings by the artist formed a private exhibition (from the Gitter-Yelen collection) at the New Orleans Museum of Art in 2000. In recent years, exhibitions such as The Last Master of the Literati Tradition: Fukuda Kodōjin (Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2023) have brought renewed attention to his achievement. For more on his life see the book Old Taoist, or Unexplored Avenues of Japanese Painting.
