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Calligraphy "Yatsuhashi Kengyo"

Kakemono, unique work, 130 x 33 cm
Product number: 4091

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

In calm, even brushwork, the characters for "Yatsuhashi Kengyo" are recorded here, the name of the founder of the Japanese music school of the same name and an important figure in the koto music tradition. The calligraphy is executed in a single column on fine, slightly cream-colored paper and framed by a plain, light border that directs the focus entirely onto the characters.

Commemorative calligraphies of this kind were made to preserve the memory of accomplished teachers and masters, and attest to the high regard traditionally accorded to music and education in Japanese culture. The clear, disciplined linework of the characters further underscores the seriousness of this dedication. Created on paper in the Shôwa period, the hanging scroll is mounted on a wooden rod.

This kakemono is a quiet, dignified collector's item for anyone interested in Japanese music history, calligraphy, or the culture of commemoration and appreciation.

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?.