Kakemono Grasses in the Wind

Slender blades of grass, painted in dynamic sweeping strokes, grow out of two rocky elevations and bend as if caught by a gentle gust of wind. Small blossoms, indicated in dark ink, are set among the long blades, while in the lower part of the image a second, denser growth of drop-like brush dabs rounds off the motif and reinforces the impression of movement.

To the right of the plants, a multi-line poem is inscribed in fine calligraphy, its lines telling, among other things, of the wind that moves the slender blades – a direct connection between the written word and the painted image, characteristic of literati painting. Signature and red seal confirm the authorship of this reduced yet remarkably lively composition.

Executed in ink on paper and mounted in a shimmering golden-brown silk border, this hanging scroll was created in the Shôwa period. The focus on a seemingly simple motif such as grasses demands a particularly assured sense of linework and rhythm from the painter, so that this work, despite its restraint, develops a remarkable painterly depth.