Antique Japanese Scroll Painting: Takasago Hinode Sunrise

Sale price$195.50

Dimensions: 22-3/4” w x 72-0”l

Magnificent Vintage Japanese Hand Painted Silk Scroll and executed with ink wash on paper and captures the folklore about Jo and Uba and represent the Cranes | Gods of Marriage which mate for life and which are a symbol of long life. SEA PINE - the emblem of strength, endurance, and longevity, because it is believed that its sap turns into amber after a thousand years; the TORTOISE - emblem of longevity. Framing the artwork is a narrow strip of brocade silk known as “ichimonji”, which is often placed as “trim” surrounding the artwork. The scroll is finished with simple wood rollers and has its original silk tassels/scroll weights.

The legend of Takasago with Jo and Uba under the pine tree. Pine of Takasago represents a scene from a Noh play based on the subject of the Eternal Couple from the Legend of Takasago. Jo and Uba were supposed to have fallen in love when young and after living to a very old age their spirits came to abide in pine trees, one on the beach at Takasago in Harima. Their spirits returned on moonlit nights in human form with rakes to continue their work of clearing the pine needles on Takasago Beach. This is a traditional Japanese gift for a marriage celebration.

A significant factor that can make the acquisition of a hanging scroll, perhaps even more compelling than that of a Japanese woodblock, is their UNIQUENESS. After all, the artwork seen on nearly all Japanese hanging scrolls is indeed a true one-of-a-kind piece of art. Individually and painstakingly hand-drawn, thusly, not even two "similar- appearing" pieces are alike. The piece is signed and has the artist's impressed stamp.

Condition: Excellent in its protective “paulownia wood” storage box with the name of the scroll.