Gama Sennin with His Toad

Name: Gama Sennin with His Toad
SKU: 5970
Price: 160.00 EUR
Availability: InStock

Kakemono, unique work, 188 x 59 cm

Product number: 5970

Height 188 cm
Width 59 cm
Item Type Kakemono
Jikusaki Bone
Material Honshi Silk
Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
Technique Hand-Painted
Unique Work Yes

€160.00

Available, delivery time: 1-3 Days

Description

With a mischievous smile, this disheveled wandering figure carries a toad on his shoulder, while a bamboo grove frames the scene in the background. The loose, humorous brushwork lends the figure an endearing, almost lovably eccentric appearance.

Depicted is Gama Sennin, one of the best-known Taoist immortals, whose close bond with his three-legged toad represents supernatural powers, longevity, and transformation. In Japanese painting he is often portrayed as an eccentric yet wise hermit living far from societal conventions.

Painted on silk and fitted with a jikusaki made of bone, this hand-painted unique work from the Shôwa period is a humorous yet meaningful depiction of one of the most popular Sennin motifs.

Frequently asked

When was the work created?

Based on the previous owners' information and the condition of the object we place it broadly in the Shôwa (1926–1989) period, but cannot give a precise date.

Is this genuine craftsmanship?

Yes, this piece is a genuine handcrafted original that exists only once.

Why does the date of creation sometimes not match the artist's dates

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?.