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Single Bamboo Stalk on the Earth Mound

Kakemono, unique work, 194 x 44 cm
Product number: 4346

Sold – no longer available

This piece was handmade by Ukei and was a 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 194 cm
  • Width 44 cm
  • Item Type Kakemono
  • Material Honshi Paper
  • Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
  • Technique Hand-Painted
  • Unique Work Yes
Signature / Stamp:
Ukei
Sold

No longer available

Description

Numerous Japanese hanging scrolls devoted to bamboo date from the Meiji to Shôwa period, yet few achieve movement as lively as this work. A single bamboo stalk with delicately curved leaves rises from a suggested earth mound, while individual blades of grass line the lower edge of the composition.

In East Asian pictorial language, bamboo is regarded as a symbol of both flexibility and inner steadfastness, as it bends in the wind without breaking. The calligraphic inscription at the upper edge of the composition underscores the literary character of the work, typical of scholar painting.

Executed in pure ink painting on paper, this hanging scroll from the Shôwa period captivates with its clear, disciplined brushwork, in which every stroke was set with deliberation. As a hand-painted unique work, it conveys the quiet power of Japanese calligraphy and painting and fits perfectly into spaces defined by a reduced, harmonious aesthetic.

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?.