Oath of the Peach Garden, from Romance of the Three Kingdoms

『三国志演義』桃園結義図

c. 1780

Matsumura Goshun 松村呉春

(Japanese, 1752–1811)

Culture

Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

Medium

hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Measurements

Image: 28.2 x 25.2 cm (11 1/8 x 9 15/16 in.); Including mounting: 114.3 x 44.2 cm (45 x 17 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund 1987.35

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

Matsumura Goshun was trained in literati art by Yosa Buson and Maruyama Ōkyo.

Description

This painting depicts a pivotal scene from the classic Chinese historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Three men, Liu Bei, seen to the left, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, seen to the right, become sworn brothers amid peach blossom trees. Set toward the end of China’s Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 CE), the episode features the tagline “We seek not to be born on the same day but hope that we may die on the same day.” Written in the 1300s, the first published translation in Japanese appeared around 1690, after which it exploded in popularity.