Study of Sesshu based both on his works and documentary sources around him

本研究的重点是关于雪舟1467年至1469年来华旅行的一些尚未被探索的方面。从方法论上讲，作者采用了两种不同的方法，结果发现这两种方法对雪舟的生活和作品有了新的认识。一种方法直接触及艺术家在中国期间创作的作品本身。另一部则从中日两国的角度探讨雪舟的生平和作品。这项研究的一个重要成果是，这位日本艺术家可以在这个时代的世界范围内的运动的背景下重新考虑；所谓的大发现时代他的一部作品大胆地详细描述了长江沿岸一个正在崛起的贸易枢纽港。还有一些人的兴趣集中在城市景观或来自亚洲各国的外国人身上。与此同时，雪舟沉浸在晋南区文人精英圈。他著名的《四季风景画》（Four seasons Landscape）现在在日本，实际上是为某个江南精英绘制的，长期保存在一位中国王子的家族手中，甚至一直保存到20世纪初。与此形成鲜明对比的是，这既不是地图般的城市场景，也不是上述类型图片的呈现。难怪雪舟深深地投入到上层和下层的社会活动中。有趣的是，这一事实得到了活跃在酒井的纪子大修日记等文献资料的证实。酒井是一个对海外当代经济和文化趋势开放的新城市。

This study focuses specifically on some still unexplored aspects concerning Sesshu's travel to China from 1467 to 1469. Methodologically, two different approaches were taken and turned out to shed new lights on Sesshu's life and works. One approach touches directly the works themeslves the artist created during his stay in China. The other in turn probes documentary records leading us to Sesshu's life and works from both Chinese and Japanese sides.One significant outcome of this study is the fact that this Japanese artist could be reconsidered in the context of the world wide movement in this era ; the so-called Age of Discovery. One of his works dare to describe minutely a rising trade hub-port along the Yantze River. There are some others whose keen interests are centered on either urban landscapes or foreign people from all over the Asian countries.At the same time, Sesshu was immersed in the elite Wenren circles in Jinangnan District. His famous Four Season Landscape, now in Japan, was actually done for a certain Jiangnan elite and was long kept-even up to the early 20^<th> century--by one of the Chinese prince's family. In sharp contrast, this was never a map-like urban scene nor a genre picture rendition above mentioned. No wonder, Sesshu was deeply committed in both high and low societal activities. What is interesting is that this fact is attested by documentary sources such as the Diary of Kiko Daishuku who was active in Sakai whch is well konwn as a new city quite open to contemporary economomical and cultural trends overseas.