Antique Japanese Hanging Scroll: Takasago Hinode Sunrise | ‘Auspicious Kakejiku’

Sale price$225.00

Dimensions: 22-3/4” w x 72-0”l

Offered is an authentic work of art that stimulates the viewer and encourages cultural understanding. The Kakejiku, or hanging scroll, has been esteemed for centuries as a vital cultural symbol, forming a part of traditional Japanese fine art. Its presence not only brings beauty into Japanese homes and public spaces but also offers a unique method of demonstrating a deep respect for space, time, and nature.

All Kakejiku are tailored to celebratory occasions, making the moment special, and allowing for the selection of what is most suitable for the given instant. Furthermore, its history underscores the profound value of faith and appreciation that scrolls carry reflecting the Japanese aesthetic consciousness, offering ways for individuals to feel integrated with nature and incorporate art into their lives. Understanding the underlying significance of a scroll like the Takasago presented here further enhances its beauty and profound implications.  

Offered is a magnificent Vintage Japanese Hand Painted Silk Scroll, (‘Auspicious kakejiku’), executed with ink wash on paper captures the folklore about Jo and Uba and represents 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 “trim” surrounding the artwork. The scroll is finished with simple wood rollers and has its original silk tassels and black onyx scroll weights 'fuchin'.

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 its UNIQUENESS. After all, the artwork seen on nearly all Japanese hanging scrolls is indeed a truly one-of-a-kind hand-painted piece of art. Individually and painstakingly hand-drawn, thus, not even two "similar-appearing" pieces are alike. The piece is signed and has the artist's impressed stamp with its kiriwood box for storage.

Condition: Excellent, fully intact, and no fading, in its protective “paulownia wood” storage box with the name of the scroll.