Kakemono Cormorant Fishing at Night

One of a kind — this work exists only once.

Period:
Shôwa (1926–1989)
Dimensions (height x width):
187 x 51 cm
Item number:
5372

This piece has been sold.

Sold – no longer available

This piece was a handmade 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

  • JikusakiCeramics
  • Material HonshiPaper
  • MotifAnimals, People
  • TechniqueHand-Painted
  • Wooden BoxYes

Description

In evocative tones of gray and brown, this kakemono depicts a traditional fishing boat during nighttime cormorant fishing, "Cormorant Fishing at Night": a fire basket mounted on a pole casts warm, orange-red light onto the water, while two cormorants sit at the edge of the boat and ducks swim calmly in the foreground. The rising smoke is suggested with a few skillfully placed brushstrokes.

Cormorant fishing, called ukai in Japanese, is a centuries-old fishing method in which trained cormorants catch fish for the fishermen, and is considered a typical motif for rural life along Japanese rivers. The scene is accompanied by handwritten verses that capture the particular atmosphere of this nocturnal work on the water.

Painted on paper, with a jikusaki made of ceramics, this hand-painted unique work dates from the Shôwa period. This kakemono comes in a wooden box (tomobako) signed by the artist and is an atmospheric choice for lovers of narrative Japanese genre painting.

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