In a late-spring gorge where cherry petals flutter down, three waterwheel boats are moored on the river. During his sketching trips in 1915 and 1916, Gyokudo visited Nagatoro gorge where he enjoyed boating trips down the river. Using the scene of the gorge as the starting point, the painter added cherry petals fluttering down like a light snow to produce this masterpiece.
Interested particularly in the repeating rhythm of the waterwheels’ rotation, Gyokudo said he took the greatest pains in depicting the rapid flow of the water to express the motion. Combining the diverse appearances of nature—its grandeur as well as the subtlety seen in the changing seasons—and the daily life of the local people, this piece succeeds in creating a world brimming with poetic sentiment.

(Designated an Important Cultural Propery on June 22, 1971)