This fusuma was created by Kano Eigaku. If we look in at it from the main hall, the left side features the “flowers and birds” panel and the right side features the “Chinese Literary Scholars” panel. We will begin by explaining the latter.

There are four hobbies displayed in this fusuma: go, koto, poetry and painting. Why are these depicted here? Actually, there is a teaching in Confucianism that says, in order to master Confucianism, you need to do exactly what those who have mastered it before you have done. You can learn 95% of Confucianism through your own studies. but, the most important part is the remaining 5%, which cannot be learned if you do not follow the right style of life. For example, through reading poetry, you can come to understand the transition between summer and fall. Through painting pictures, you come to understand the different colors of the sky. You not only study the things that the masters teach you, but you also study their character, because there is something to be attained through copying their actions. The subject of this fusuma aims to convey this concept through the four hobbies displayed here.

We tend to focus so much on learning efficiently, that sometimes the most important things are left off. For example in recent years, rather than focusing on meditation, we focus on mindfulness. This has become further simplified and is now just “mental training.” But because of this the philosophy behind the original concept has been lost, and the most important bits have been omitted for the sake of efficiency. There is a famous phrase that says, “Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.” There are many things we encounter on a daily basis that we do not understand the importance of. Though you may feel that doing the exact same things that the masters do is inefficient, it is actually a shortcut. This fusuma tries to convey that message.