Kakemono Dragon at Mount Fuji

Two ghostly dragons emerging from clouds play around the majestically rising Fuji-San, whose snow-covered peak stands out clearly against the billowing banks of mist. The dragons are rendered in fine, iridescent tones of ink, so that they almost seem to merge with the clouds, while the mountain itself is kept in calmer, firmer lines. This juxtaposition of wild natural force and quiet grandeur constitutes the special appeal of this composition.

The work, painted on silk, bears the signature and seal of the artist Tsurumine Sansei (鶴峰三清) and dates from the Meiji period. The jikusaki made of bone completes the elaborate mounting, and the hanging scroll is delivered including an inscribed wooden box. In Japanese symbolism, dragons traditionally represent water, weather, and cosmic power, while Fuji-San is considered the sacred mountain par excellence, a combination that lends the image a particular mythological depth.

For collectors of extraordinary landscape motifs and lovers of Japanese dragon depictions, this Kakemono from the Meiji period is an impressive, rare piece of great symbolic power.