この作品は、近年、セントルイス美術館が購入したもので、右隻に、金色の笹葉の茂みと直立の槙、左隻に、つがいの鹿が紅葉の散る小高い草むらへ駆け上る様子が描かれている。これらは、古来よりの和歌と絵画を一体化させた作品である。金部分がややふくらみ、盛り上がっているのは、日本の屏風の顕著な特徴である。これは「盛上げ」と呼ばれる一種の工芸的技法で、牡蠣の貝殻による胡粉を厚く盛上げ、その上に金泥を塗る。

This recent acquisition by the Saint Louis Art Museum depicts, on the right screen, golden clumps of bamboo leaves and vertical Chinese yew, while on the left a pair of deer frolick next to a grassy hill scattered with fallen maple leaves—a classic pairing in Japanese poetry and painted imagery. Golden elements that stand out in low relief have become a hallmark of Japanese folding screens. This technique of raised decoration, known as moriage, entails the use of gold paint over a thick buildup of white pigment made of ground oyster shells (gofun).

These screens are the only work outside of Japan attributable to the little-known artist Hasegawa Togaku, who was the son-in-law of the revered founder of the Hasegawa school, Hasegawa Tohaku, as well as an innovator in the use of gold and the creator of compositions with a refined sense of design.

The calligraphy above is brushed rhythmically in a diagonal fashion, and seems to move in concert with the images sprinkled across the panels. Tetsuzan Sodon, a key figure in the Rinzai Zen community of Kyoto, wrote the four Chinese texts, which are well-known passages mentioning the subjects that appear on the screens below.

This work is on display for the entire exhibition period.