Accessories

Why Accessories Play a Crucial Role for Kakemono and Shikishi

A Japanese hanging scroll or a shikishi panel lives from the care with which it is presented, transported, and stored. For this handling to succeed over years and decades, suitable, traditionally proven accessories are needed. In this category you will find four central elements of Japanese presentation and storage culture: fuchin, jikusaki, tomobako, and empty shikishi mountings – each with its own function that has evolved over centuries.

Fuchin: Decorative Weights for a Calm Hang

Fuchin are small weights, usually used in pairs, that are attached to the lower roller rod of a kakemono. Their purpose is first of all practical: they ensure that the hanging scroll hangs straight and does not sway due to drafts or slight vibrations. At the same time, fuchin are themselves small art objects – often made of metal and fitted with tassels, small bells, or filigree ornaments, so that they lend the kakemono an additional, subtle decorative accent. In the tea ceremony and on particularly representative occasions, the choice of fuchin is deliberately matched to the motif or occasion of the respective kakemono.

Jikusaki: The End Knobs of the Roller Rod

Jikusaki refers to the two end knobs on the lower roller rod of a kakemono, which protrude visibly on the sides. They form the decorative finish of the hanging scroll and are made from a wide variety of materials, such as wood, ceramics, lacquer, or imitation ivory, with the material and workmanship often corresponding to the value and occasion of the respective kakemono. On particularly high-quality or antique hanging scrolls, the jikusaki are often a distinct quality feature in their own right, since their workmanship, shape, and choice of material allow conclusions to be drawn about the care taken in the entire mounting of the work.

Tomobako: The Traditional Storage Box

The tomobako is a plain box, usually made of pine or cedar wood, often hand-inscribed with the title, artist's name, and date of creation of the work. It reliably protects the rolled-up kakemono from light, dust, and moisture, and in the case of antique pieces it is often a distinct detail for collectors, since the inscription can provide valuable information about provenance. In traditional Japanese households it was long considered a matter of course that every kakemono was delivered with a specially made, perfectly fitting tomobako – a custom that continues to be observed today for high-quality works.

Empty Shikishi Mountings: The Frame for Your Own Calligraphy and Painting

Shikishi are square, sturdier cardboard panels on which calligraphy, short poems, or paintings are traditionally executed – a more compact alternative to the kakemono, particularly suited to smaller formats and more spontaneous artistic work. Our empty shikishi mountings are matching mountings for such panels and are aimed both at collectors who wish to present an already existing shikishi work in a stylish way, and at anyone who is active in calligraphy or painting themselves and would like to display their own work afterward in a traditional mounting. The mounting deliberately takes a restrained role, drawing attention to the actual calligraphy or painting at the center.

Accessories as an Expression of Care and Appreciation

In the traditional Japanese view, the care with which an art object is handled, transported, and stored is itself an expression of appreciation for the work and its creator. A kakemono without suitable fuchin hangs restlessly, without clean jikusaki it appears incomplete, and without a tomobako it remains unprotected in the long run. A shikishi work, too, only attains its complete, dignified form of presentation through a matching mounting. Anyone who invests in high-quality accessories thereby directly contributes to preserving the value and the appropriate effect of their collection.

Equip your kakemono and shikishi with the matching, traditional accessories – for a presentation that does justice to the work, and a form of storage that preserves it for generations.