Kakemono Wild Geese in Moonlight

In front of a large, softly painted full moon, several wild geese fly across the night sky in staggered formation, their outstretched wings and extended necks captured in different moments of flight. At the lower edge of the image, slender reed stalks sway in the wind, lending the scene additional movement and a quiet, autumnal mood.

Wild geese migrating before the autumn moon are among the most poetic motifs in Japanese painting and traditionally stand for wistfulness, transience, and the beauty of the fleeting moment. The ink painting, rendered in fine shades of gray and brown, reinforces this quiet, melancholic atmosphere and makes the nocturnal firmament seem almost tangible.

The scene was painted by hand on paper in the Shôwa period. The hanging scroll has jikusaki made of plastic and, with its expressive, poetic imagery, is a particularly atmospheric piece for lovers of classical bird depictions.