I obtained these scrolls this time. I drove my car around for four hours and over the mountains again and again. The location is Okayama. I like this antique market because I don't know at all what kind of items will be listed. Most of items are Ubudashi. Umudashi is antiques found in old warehouses, etc., that are being sold for the first time on the market. If so, you might think there are a lot of treasure in the market. Actually, half is right and half is not. Please look around your basement and garage. Toys, potteries, paintings may be valuable and memorable to you. But for others, they may not. That's the interesting point. My job is to dig into valuable items from them and to let you know. There are still a lot of beautiful and historic items in Japan. I am convince you will find great Japanese art that you never met yet.

Mt. Fuji & Lakeside 松村景文 Matsumura Keibun (1779-1843)

Fuji and lakeside are drawn in ink. The painting evokes a sense of calm and tranquility. The short length makes it suitable for bonsai and suiseki. There is a decorative band called Ichimonji at the top and bottom of the painting. A flower pattern is woven with gold thread and and make it more elegant. The artist is Matsumura Keibun. I would like to introduce this artist a little. 松村景文 Matsumra Keibun (1779-1843) Painter of the Shijo School in Kyoto in the late Edo period. He was a younger half-brother of 松村呉春 Matsumura Goshun (1752-1811), and he studied painting under Goshun. He excelled in flower-and-bird and Sansui landscape painting. While he inherited his brother Goshun's painting style, he refined it further, maintaining his drawing ability, while his brushstrokes were light and his margins were increased, resulting in a soft and light style. His more decorative and aesthetic works became very popular among the general public. He succeeded his brother Goshun and brought prosperity to the Shijo School. His pupil was 横山清暉 Yokoyama Seiki (1792-1864).

Thirteen Buddhas

The thirteen Buddhas are thirteen Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. One of them, Fudo Myoo, is well known and you have probably heard of him. Thirteen Buddhas are Fudō (Acala), Shaka (Sakyamuni), Monju (Manjushri), Fugen (Samantabhadra), Jizō (Ksitigarbha), Miroku (Maitreya), Yakushi (Bhaisajyaguru), Kannon (Avalokitesvara), Seishi (Mahasthamaprapta), Amida (Amitabha), Ashuku (Akshobhya), Dainichi (Vairocana), Kokūzō (Akasagarbha), This hanging scroll is displayed at all kinds of Buddhist ceremonies, including Obon. It is also suitable for a room where you meditate or when you want to calm your mind.

Flying Bat & Moon 松村景文 Matsumura Keibun (1779-1843)

Once again, the work is by Matsumura Keibun. The moon floats dimly in the night sky. A lone bat soaring toward it. It is a unique atmosphere that makes you feel a little bit extraordinary. Personally, I like this kind of hanging scroll. It is even mysterious. You may not have a good impression of the bat, but in fact it is a symbol of good omen in Asia and Japan. This is because the one character for "蝠" in "蝙蝠 / Bat" is similar to "福 / Happiness.There is also a fan called a bat fan (蝙蝠扇 Kawahori Ougi). It dates back to the Heian period (794-1185). It is a paper fan with a bamboo or wood frame and paper attached to only one side. It is said that the reason for this is because the open shape of the fan resembles a bat with its wings spread. In other words, bat means a fan, and fans are used in summer. It may also have a breezy meaning to add coolness and color to the summer season.

Winter snow Sansui landscape 日根対山 Hine Taizan (1813-1869)

The snowy mountain scenery is staged in white and gray. Snowy mountain landscapes provide serenity and calmness. The artist Hine Taizan specialized in this kind of Sansui landscape paintings. Please let me introduce this artist a little. He was a painter of the late Edo period. He first learned the Tosa School. Later, he studied under Nukina Kaioku (1778-1863) in Kyoto, who taught him calligraphy and painting. After moving to Kyoto, he formed friendships with Yanagawa Seigan (1789-1858), Rai Mikisaburo (1825-1859), Fujimoto Tesseki (1816-1863), and Nakanishi Koseki (1807-1884) who were members of the royalist movement. He was strongly influenced by the Maruyama School, and was a great admirer of the Nagasaki artist-monk Tetsuo Somon (1791-1872). He specialized in Sansui landscape paintings of literati, and his skillful brushwork made him a leading figure in Kyoto's southern painting (Nan-ga) scene at the end of the Edo period. One of his pupils was Noguchi Shohin (1847-1917).

A set of three hanging scrolls Moon, Spring & Autumn 狩野栄川 Kano Eisen (1730-1790)

We call this "Sanpukutsui". The three pieces are one work of art. The middle hanging scroll is a hazy moon. The scroll is flanked by scenes of spring and autumn, which further accentuate the moon's presence. It would be a magnificent sight if such a hanging scroll could be displayed in a large room. It is truly wall art. The artist Kano Eisen is a painter in Edo middle and He painted the barriers of Edo Castle and other works.

We hope you will be interested in traditional Japanese painting.

We will update you when we obtain something new.

Kind regards,

Reiwa Antiques