Around the 16th century, numerous paintings of Kyoto were drawn from a bird's-eye view. Painted on elaborate screens, these Rakuchu Rakugaizu became popular as gifts to feudal lords around Japan. Exceptional in its beauty is Uesugi-bon by Kano Eitoku, currently stored in Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture, depicting famous architectural structures and the daily lives of Kyoto residents in a lively fashion. In this episode, we stroll through modern Kyoto with the 400-year-old Rakuchu Rakugaizu as our time-traveling guide. Showing us around is artist Akira Yamaguchi, who specializes in modern bird's-eye view paintings himself.
