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

本文的研究重点是关于1467年至1469年间塞书到中国旅行的一些尚待考证的方面。在方法上，采取了两种不同的方法，结果表明，赛书的生活和作品有了新的曙光。一种方法直接触及艺术家在中国期间创作的作品主题。另一个则是研究中日两国的纪实记录。这项研究的一个重要结果是，在这个所谓的发现时代，这位日本艺术家可以在世界运动的背景下被重新考虑。他的一部作品敢于详细地描述一个正在崛起的贸易中心--长江沿岸的港口。还有一些人热衷于城市景观或来自亚洲各国的外国人士。与此同时，塞书沉浸在济南区的精英文人圈中。他著名的《四季风景》，现在在日本，实际上是为某个江南精英创作的，甚至一直保存到20世纪初，一直由中国太子的一个家庭保存。与之形成鲜明对比的是，这既不是上面提到的地图般的城市场景，也不是流派图片的再现。难怪，Sesshu深深地投入到了上下层的社交活动中。有趣的是，这一事实得到了纪录片来源的证实，例如活跃在酒井的纪子大树日记，酒井是一个对当代海外经济和文化趋势相当开放的新城市。

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.