In 2000, the Kyoto National Museum commemorated the death of Ito Jakuchu (1716-1800) with an exhibition that generated a surge of interest in the artist. The boom has possibly reached its zenith this year, which marks the 300th anniversary of his birth.
While the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art's current show hopes to reclaim Jakuchu as one of its own with the title "Jakuchu no Kyoto, Kyoto no Jakuchu" ("Jakuchu's Kyoto, Kyoto's Jakuchu"), it may be too late given the artist's increasing prominence. Contemporary familiarity, however, is frequently accompanied by the erosion of historical culture and its practices.
Jakuchu's numerous paintings of pine trees, cranes and immortal tortoises symbolize longevity, New Year's celebrations and weddings (some cranes were thought to pair for life). Such imagery was conventionally displayed privately, and it assured domestic converse with seasonal cycles and yearly events. It was both intimate and extremely popular.
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