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Calligraphy "Yanagawa Kengyo"

Kakemono, unique work, 130 x 33 cm
Product number: 4090

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 130 cm
  • Width 33 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

This calligraphy bears the inscription "Yanagawa Kengyo," the name of the founder of the traditional Japanese music school of the same name. The characters are executed in a clear, easily legible script and arranged over a single column on fine paper, framed by a restrained, lightly patterned border that lends the work a calm, almost reverent effect.

Such commemorative inscriptions were traditionally made in Japan to honor accomplished individuals – in this case, the founder of a musical tradition – and to visibly preserve their memory. They combine calligraphic skill with a deeply rooted culture of appreciation and remembrance. Created in the Shôwa period on paper, the hanging scroll is mounted on a wooden rod and, with its clear line work, is a fine example of traditional commemorative calligraphy.

For collectors of Japanese music history or lovers of classical calligraphy, this kakemono is a particularly meaningful piece that combines the art of writing and a culture of remembrance in a quiet, elegant manner.

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?.