Kakemono Ink Sketch of a Tea Bowl on Red Cloth

A dark-glazed tea bowl, set down on a reddish cloth with just a few loose brushstrokes – a haiga-like sketch that concentrates entirely on the shape and volume of the vessel, without losing itself in detail.

The hanging scroll bears the signature and seal of Matsuyama Fujii. The bowl is rendered in dense, deep tones of ink, while the cloth beneath it is only suggested in warm reddish-orange with a few lines – a simple but effective contrast.

Such sketch-like depictions of tea utensils originate from the world of the tea ceremony, in which educated men and monks liked to create small, spontaneous images as an expression of their aesthetic sensibility. The reduced, almost calligraphic quality of this sheet makes it a fitting piece of wall decoration for lovers of tea culture and wabi-sabi aesthetics.