Kakemono Lady with Oni Under Wisteria Blossoms

A young woman reaches for the hanging clusters of blossoms on a wisteria, her gaze directed upward, while the purple blossoms trail gently over her hand – a graceful snapshot full of movement. With her other hand she grasps a large oni in a fur loincloth by the collar; with bristling hair and a fierce expression, he fills the lower half of the picture. The delicate blue of her robe and the warm orange tone of the collar set an appealing color accent against the cool violet of the wisteria blossoms, while her hairstyle and facial features are rendered with fine, confident lines.

The wisteria (Fuji) is one of the most popular late spring motifs in Japanese painting and, through its hanging clusters of blossoms, stands for grace, yielding, and quiet elegance. The combination of Bijinga painting, the wisteria motif and the tamed oni, reminiscent of the folk paintings known as Ōtsu-e, lends this hanging scroll a particularly graceful, playful and seasonally anchored note.