Adachi Museum of Art, Yasugi, Shimane Prefecture, Japan
Location History:
Created in Japan in 1934, the painting later became part of the Adachi Museum of Art collection, which preserves significant works of modern Japanese painting.
Passion (Aizen) is a 1934 painting created by Japanese artist Kawabata Ryushi. The artwork presents a moving scene from nature, showing two mandarin ducks surrounded by bright red autumn maple leaves. The title of the painting is inspired by Aizen myoo, a Buddhist figure associated with love and passion. Through the strong use of red tones, Ryushi creates a feeling of warmth, emotion, and spiritual energy.
The painting was made using mineral pigments on silk following the traditional Japanese Nihonga style. Although birds, flowers and seasonal landscapes were common themes in Japanese art, Ryushi gave them a fresh and expressive appearance. The calm presence of the ducks contasts beautifully with the intense movement and colour of the surrounding leaves, creating a balance between stillness and passion.
Kawabata Ryushi originally studies western-style painting before turning toward Nihonga. His experience with different artistic styles helped him develop a unique approach that respected tradition while also introducing modern ideas. He believed paintings should create a strong impression on viewers and designed many works to have a powerful visual presence.
Passion (Aizen) reflects Ryushi's ability to combine natural beauty, cultural symbolism, and emotional expression. The artwork is not only a representation of nature but explores deeper ideas of harmony, devotion, and human feelings. Today, it remains an important example of modern Japanese painting and Ryushi's creative vision.
Kawabata Ryushi’s 1934 masterpiece, Passion (Aizen), offers a striking exploration of emotion, spiritual energy, and natural harmony, executed in the traditional Japanese Nihonga style. The painting dynamicizes a classic scene from nature—two mandarin ducks amidst a vibrant sea of brilliant red autumn maple leaves. Rather than a static landscape, Ryushi creates an intense, swirling movement with the foliage that contrasts beautifully with the calm, still presence of the ducks. This juxtaposition establishes a delicate balance between stillness and motion, embodying the concepts of harmony and devotion. The overwhelming use of rich red tones is not merely a seasonal depiction but a powerful tool to evoke feelings of warmth, intense emotion, and deep spiritual energy.
The depth of the painting is further enriched by its cultural and spiritual symbolism. The title itself is inspired by Aizen Myoo, a Buddhist deity traditionally associated with love, passion, and the transformation of worldly desire into spiritual awakening. By weaving this religious undertone into a natural landscape, Ryushi elevates a traditional motif into a profound commentary on human feelings and devotion. Utilizing mineral pigments on silk, the artwork reflects the artist’s unique stylistic journey; having originally studied Western-style painting before turning to Nihonga, Ryushi successfully respects traditional Japanese techniques while introducing modern, expressive ideas designed to leave a powerful, lasting visual impression on the viewer.
Share
By: Puja Kumari
Aizen (Passion) by Kawabata Ryūshi feels like desire made visible, but not as a simple romance. Ryūshi (1885–1966) was a Nihonga painter who pushed Japanese painting toward bold, decorative scale and dramatic expression.
The title is important: aizen can mean passion, even carnal longing, while the mandarin duck often symbolizes love and marital harmony. Yet here the love is not calm; it is unsettled, suspended between union and separation.
What moves me is the tension between the red leaves, which feel like flame or heartbeat, and the blue water, which feels like silence, distance, forgetting. The ducks drift inside that emotional divide, as if the painting is saying that love is never only tenderness; it is also instinct, contradiction, and the ache of being drawn toward another life.
