Japan Art and Poetry: Four Winds of Buddhism and Deer 

Sawako Utsumi is paying homage to Nakamura Hochu. However, she dramatically alters the color angle of the deer (inspired by the Edo Period artist Nakamura Hochu) and provides a Buddhist angle concerning her mindset.

The Buddhist angle isn’t visible; it is based on the concept she adopts through the prism of the four deer.

In the mindset of Utsumi, the four deer represent the four winds of Buddhism. Hence, the opposite exists in both positive and negative – all who reach a set age will experience these four winds. 

Two poems by Kobayashi Issa (Edo Period) concerning the death of his child focus on one of the four winds. He wrote (full of moroseness):

Dew Evaporates 
And all our world is dew…so dear, 
So fresh, so fleeting”

Kobayashi Issa also wrote:

“A world of grief and pain
Flowers bloom
Even then”

The deer in Utsumi’s art are both an homage and a symbol of mysticism. Though their presence—and the serene atmosphere—suggest peace, one is left to wonder: is it a true reflection of reality, or merely a mirage, like life itself?

Written by Lee Jay Walker

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/four-winds-of-buddhism-and-deer-sawako-utsumi.html