{"product_id":"tanzaku-e-of-bush-clover-by-ransha-c-1960s-copy","title":"Tanzaku-e of 'Wild Orchid', c. 1950-1970s","description":"\u003ch3 data-end=\"294\" data-start=\"278\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"294\" data-start=\"282\"\u003eThe Item\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"977\" data-start=\"295\"\u003eA suite of sixteen \u003cem data-end=\"325\" data-start=\"314\"\u003etanzaku-e\u003c\/em\u003e (短冊絵) — hand-painted poem and illustration cards executed in ink and mineral pigment on handmade \u003cem data-end=\"413\" data-start=\"406\"\u003ewashi\u003c\/em\u003e paper.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"977\" data-start=\"295\"\u003eEach piece measures approximately 6–7 × 36 cm and depicts motifs drawn from classical \u003cem data-end=\"517\" data-start=\"507\"\u003ekacho-ga\u003c\/em\u003e (flowers and birds) and \u003cem data-end=\"552\" data-start=\"542\"\u003ebunjinga\u003c\/em\u003e (literati) painting: plum blossoms, bamboo, orchids, pine, rice stalks, and seasonal wildflowers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"977\" data-start=\"295\"\u003eThis particular piece depicts a wild orchid (蘭 ran) — one of the so-called \"four gentlemen\" (orchid, bamboo, plum, chrysanthemum) the foundational subjects of Japanese ink painting. It is rendered in quick, expressive, sweeping brushstrokes showcasing long, elegant blades and the orchid's knotted root base.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"977\" data-start=\"295\"\u003eCollected in Kyoto, these \u003cem data-end=\"688\" data-start=\"679\"\u003etanzaku\u003c\/em\u003e bear red seals (\u003cem data-end=\"712\" data-start=\"705\"\u003ehanko\u003c\/em\u003e) and signatures (\u003cem data-end=\"734\" data-start=\"730\"\u003egō\u003c\/em\u003e) in both kanji and kana, each identifying the pseudonym of a different artist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"977\" data-start=\"295\"\u003eThis artist's signature might be \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e香寂, \"fragrant stillness.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"977\" data-start=\"295\"\u003eThe delicate brushwork and variation in tone suggest a mix of professional and semi-professional \u003cem data-end=\"903\" data-start=\"894\"\u003enihonga\u003c\/em\u003e painters working in Kyoto during the mid-to-late Shōwa period (1950s–1980s). This piece is most likely from the 1960s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-end=\"1002\" data-start=\"984\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"1002\" data-start=\"988\"\u003eThe Artist\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1647\" data-start=\"1003\"\u003eEach artist signs their \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cem data-end=\"325\" data-start=\"314\"\u003etanzaku-e \u003c\/em\u003eunder a poetic \u003cem data-end=\"1040\" data-start=\"1036\"\u003egō\u003c\/em\u003e — a pseudonym derived from classical Chinese and Japanese literati custom.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1647\" data-start=\"1003\"\u003eNames such as \u003cstrong data-end=\"1143\" data-start=\"1130\"\u003eSetsugaku\u003c\/strong\u003e (“Snow Peak”), \u003cstrong data-end=\"1171\" data-start=\"1159\"\u003eGyokusen\u003c\/strong\u003e (“Jade Spring”), \u003cstrong data-end=\"1198\" data-start=\"1189\"\u003eHanpō\u003c\/strong\u003e (“Half Peak”), and \u003cstrong data-end=\"1227\" data-start=\"1218\"\u003eShōan\u003c\/strong\u003e (“Pine Hermitage”) evoke nature, solitude, and the pursuit of inner cultivation through art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1647\" data-start=\"1003\"\u003eWhile individual biographical records are rare, the coherence of brush style and paper stock suggests these painters belonged to a Kyoto \u003cem data-end=\"1469\" data-start=\"1460\"\u003etanzaku\u003c\/em\u003e workshop, calligraphy circle, or small art-supply gallery network (such as Unsōdō or Rakusensha), where \u003cem data-end=\"1585\" data-start=\"1574\"\u003etanzaku-e\u003c\/em\u003e were sold for tea gatherings, gifts, and seasonal decoration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-end=\"1675\" data-start=\"1654\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"1675\" data-start=\"1658\"\u003eThe Tradition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2303\" data-start=\"1676\"\u003e\u003cem data-end=\"1687\" data-start=\"1676\"\u003eTanzaku-e\u003c\/em\u003e originated in Edo as vertical poem cards used for inscribing waka or haiku. From the Edo period onward, they became a favored format for \u003cem data-end=\"1825\" data-start=\"1818\"\u003ehaiga\u003c\/em\u003e (haiku-painting) and small \u003cem data-end=\"1863\" data-start=\"1853\"\u003ekacho-ga\u003c\/em\u003e compositions, and prized for their intimacy and economy of brush.\u003cbr data-end=\"1928\" data-start=\"1925\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2303\" data-start=\"1676\"\u003eIn the twentieth century, Kyoto’s \u003cem data-end=\"1971\" data-start=\"1962\"\u003enihonga\u003c\/em\u003e painters revived the form, marrying literati brushwork with a modern sensibility that was concise, contemplative, and suited to the domestic scale of Japanese interiors. These \u003cem data-end=\"2148\" data-start=\"2139\"\u003etanzaku\u003c\/em\u003e stand within that lineage, preserving the formal restraint and spontaneity of the \u003cem data-end=\"2242\" data-start=\"2234\"\u003ebunjin\u003c\/em\u003e tradition while adapting it to a postwar decorative context.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-end=\"2329\" data-start=\"2310\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"2329\" data-start=\"2314\"\u003eThe Culture\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2931\" data-start=\"2330\"\u003eEach painting embodies a distinctly Japanese aesthetic of \u003cem data-end=\"2397\" data-start=\"2388\"\u003eshibumi\u003c\/em\u003e (quiet refinement) and \u003cem data-end=\"2436\" data-start=\"2421\"\u003emono no aware\u003c\/em\u003e (the pathos of transience). The subjects—bamboo bending in wind, a single blossom on bare branch, the poised arc of a rice stalk—reflect not spectacle but the beauty of restraint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2931\" data-start=\"2330\"\u003eIn Kyoto, such works were exchanged among friends, poets, and tea practitioners as expressions of season, mood, or gratitude.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2931\" data-start=\"2330\"\u003eTo a contemporary viewer, they offer a window into Kyoto’s living craft culture, one where the line between art and utility, practice, and philosophy, is gracefully porous.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Another Country","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47727285469435,"sku":null,"price":500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0747\/2064\/1275\/files\/WallHanging-1.jpg?v=1764092810","url":"https:\/\/inanothercountry.co\/products\/tanzaku-e-of-bush-clover-by-ransha-c-1960s-copy","provider":"Another Country","version":"1.0","type":"link"}