伊藤若冲の「紫陽花双鶏図」は、30幅からなる国宝「動植綵絵（どうしょくさいえ）」のひとつです。真っ赤なとさかの雄鶏が胸をはり、そのとなりで、点々もようの羽をもつ雌鶏が身をかがめています。頭の上には青と白のアジサイが咲きみだれ、枝には小さな鳥が1羽。左の書きこみから、1759年の秋に描かれたことがわかります。

Rooster and Hen with Hydrangeas by Itō Jakuchū is one of the 30 scrolls of Colorful Realm of Living Beings, a National Treasure. A rooster with a bright red comb puffs out his chest. Beside him, a hen with spotted feathers bends down. Blue and white hydrangeas bloom above them, and a small bird sits on a branch. The writing on the left tells us it was painted in autumn 1759.

若冲は京都・錦市場の青物問屋（八百屋）の長男に生まれ、23歳で家業をつぎましたが、40歳ごろに弟に店をゆずって絵に打ちこみました。署名の「錦街居士」は「錦通りに住む人」という意味です。絹のうら側からも色をぬる「裏彩色」を使い、色に深みを出しています。庭でたくさんのニワトリを飼って観察した、とも伝えられます。

Jakuchū was the eldest son of a greengrocer in Kyoto's Nishiki Market. He took over the family business at 23, but around 40 he gave it to his brother and devoted himself to painting. His signature 'Kingai Koji' means 'a man living on Nishiki Street.' He also painted on the back of the silk, a technique called urazaishiki, to give the colors depth. It is said he kept many chickens in his garden to study them.

動植綵絵は、若冲が釈迦三尊像とともに京都の相国寺に寄進したものです。明治時代の1889年、相国寺はこの30幅を皇室に献上し、そのお礼の1万円で寺の土地を守ったと言われます。2016年の若冲展では、見るのに何時間も待つ大行列ができ、2021年には国宝に指定されました。

Jakuchū gave the Colorful Realm scrolls to Shōkokuji Temple in Kyoto, along with paintings of the Buddha and two attendants. In 1889, the temple presented the 30 scrolls to the Imperial Family. It is said the 10,000 yen it received in return helped the temple keep its land. At a 2016 Jakuchū exhibition, people waited for hours in line. In 2021, the scrolls were named a National Treasure.