Kakemono Chawan and Tea Whisk

In the lower half of this hanging scroll, the painter sketched a Japanese tea bowl and its accompanying tea whisk with a few confident ink strokes – loosely thrown down and yet carried by great powers of observation, complemented by a few delicately blooming grasses at the edge of the image. The reference to the tea ceremony, Chanoyu, turns the motif into a quiet symbol of mindfulness and simple beauty in everyday life.

Above the painting rises a line of cursive calligraphy, whose flowing brushwork echoes the calm brush movement of the drawing below and unites both pictorial levels into a coherent whole. Red seal impressions next to the signature confirm the artist's authorship and give the sheet its individual character, while the shimmering blue-green border lends the overall composition a calm, refined mounting.

This unique work, painted on paper, dates from the Meiji period and is mounted on a wooden rod, as is customary for traditional kakemono. Anyone interested in Japanese tea culture or looking for an evocative wall image with a connection to Chanoyu will find in this hand-painted hanging scroll a particularly personal piece of Japanese art, unusual in its choice of motif.