Abstract: This article analyses a travel record and images produced by a painter, Tani Motokatsu, who participated in the shogunate’s mission to directly rule the northernmost island of Ezo in 1799. Motokatsu fulfilled his role as a sketch artist and produced numerous images of the landscape, the natural world, and the people during the six months of the journey. The article is interested in the mechanism that forced Motokatsu to wrestle with the wilderness of Ezochi. He repeatedly remarked upon his fascination with the unfamiliar landscape, noting that he could not help but ‘devour’ the strangely beautiful views, but what made the views so charming? By untangling his desires to depict the environment of Ezochi as truthfully and accurately as possible, I conclude that his desire for the stunning landscapes originates in his pursuit of new knowledge. The article underscores the ways cultural and artistic productions function as medium and mediator for the expansion of knowledge.

中文翻译：

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景观的艺术与政治：谷元胜（1778-1840）、虾夷和十九世纪的日本

摘要：本文分析了 1799 年参加幕府直接统治最北端的虾夷岛任务的画家谷元胜的旅行记录和图像。元胜完成了他作为素描艺术家的角色，并创作了许多风景画在六个月的旅程中，自然世界和人们。这篇文章对迫使元胜与江津荒野搏斗的机制很感兴趣。他反复评论自己对陌生风景的迷恋，不禁“吞噬”了奇异的美景，但究竟是什么让这些景色如此迷人？通过解开他尽可能真实准确地描绘虾夷地环境的愿望，我的结论是，他对迷人风景的渴望源于他对新知识的追求。文章强调了文化和艺术作品作为传播知识的媒介和中介的方式。