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Calligraphy: Spring Wind

Kakemono, unique work, 195 x 50 cm
Product number: 4780

Sold – no longer available

This piece was a handmade one-of-a-kind work. It cannot be reordered and will never exist in this form again. The page stays online as part of our archive.

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Details about the sold piece

  • Height 195 cm
  • Width 50 cm
  • Item Type Kakemono
  • Jikusaki Wood
  • Material Honshi Paper
  • Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
  • Technique Hand-Painted
  • Unique Work Yes
Sold

No longer available

Description

Only a few characters, all the more expressive for their sparseness, cover this kakemono – large areas are deliberately left empty, giving ample room for the powerful brushwork that seems to move as if in the wind. It is precisely this reduction that gives the sheet its particular appeal.

The characters proclaim the return of the spring wind, a motif symbolizing awakening, renewal, and the joy at the end of winter. The dynamic, at times sweeping strokes seem to trace the movement of the wind itself, while a small signature with a red seal at the lower edge of the image grounds the composition and gives it stability.

The work is painted on paper, fitted with a wooden jikusaki, and dates from the Shôwa period. The shimmering, marbled mounting fabric in warm brown tones with light blue accents underscores the lively, airy effect of the calligraphy. A work full of lightness for all who appreciate reduction and expressive power in equal measure and wish to bring a very distinctive eye-catcher to their wall.

Frequently asked

No – as a one-of-a-kind piece it exists in a single example only.
We would be glad to look for one. Get in touch with the details of the object you are looking for and we will see what we can do.
Because the two pieces of information speak about different things: the period designation describes the object – support, colors, condition – while the signature reflects which name appears on the painting. In most cases there is no attempt at deception behind this, but rather Japanese painting training: copying from workshop models was the curriculum for centuries, an utsushi is regarded as a bow to the teacher, workshops signed with the master's name, and artist names were passed down within a school. Such a hanging scroll is therefore not a forgery, but a hand-painted one-of-a-kind that continues the formal language of its school – just not the work of the famous name, and priced accordingly. We explain this in detail in the guide Why does a kakemono often bear the signature of an artist long deceased?.