{"product_id":"vintage-japanese-hanging-scroll-grapes-in-ink-budo-zu-nanga-signed-haromi-early-20th-century-zen-abundance-symbol","title":"Vintage Japanese Hanging Scroll — Grapes in Ink — Budō-zu Nanga — Signed Haromi — Early 20th Century — Zen Abundance Symbol","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis vintage Japanese kakemono presents budō-zu - a painting of grape \u003cbr\u003eclusters - one of the most storied subjects in East Asian ink painting, with a tradition \u003cbr\u003estretching from Song Dynasty China through the great Zen monasteries of medieval Kyoto \u003cbr\u003eto the literati painters of Edo and Meiji Japan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe composition follows the classical kake-budō arrangement: a vine emerges \u003cbr\u003efrom the upper left, heavy clusters of grapes cascading downward and to the right, \u003cbr\u003ewhile dark ink leaves - each painted with a single decisive stroke - create the \u003cbr\u003edramatic counterpoint to the soft, luminous fruit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e𝗕𝗨𝗗Ō-𝗭𝗨: 𝗔 𝗦𝗨𝗕𝗝𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗛\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe grape entered Chinese art via the Silk Road during the Han Dynasty (c. 100 BCE) - \u003cbr\u003earriving from Central Asia as an exotic fruit of abundance and cultural exchange. \u003cbr\u003eBy the Song period (960–1279 CE), grape paintings had become a vehicle for \u003cbr\u003edemonstrating the highest levels of ink technique: the challenge of rendering \u003cbr\u003etranslucent spherical objects in monochrome ink, without outline, required a \u003cbr\u003ecommand of water, pigment, and timing that separated masters from students.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe canonical reference for all Japanese grape painting is the work of the Chinese \u003cbr\u003emonk-painter Mu Qi (牧谿, Japanese: Mokkei, fl. 1250s) - whose ink grape paintings \u003cbr\u003eare preserved at Daitoku-ji (大徳寺) in Kyoto and have influenced Japanese painters \u003cbr\u003efor seven centuries. When a Japanese artist chose to paint budō-zu, they were entering \u003cbr\u003ea conversation with this entire lineage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Japanese symbolism, the grape cluster carries multiple meanings:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e- 子孫繁栄 (shison han'ei): abundant descendants, family prosperity - \u003cbr\u003e  each grape a child, each cluster a generation\u003cbr\u003e- 秋 (aki): an autumn kigo (seasonal word) in haiku tradition -\u003cbr\u003e  grapes ripen in autumn, when the year's work comes to fruition  \u003cbr\u003e- 豊穣 (hōjō): harvest abundance -the full cluster as material and spiritual plenty\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗛𝗡𝗜𝗤𝗨𝗘 \u0026amp; 𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗦𝗧\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe technical achievement of this painting centers on the management of two \u003cbr\u003eextreme opposites within a single composition:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e- Grapes (ichi-boku technique, 一墨): Each grape is a single circular brushstroke \u003cbr\u003e  loaded with diluted blue-grey ink - the brush placed, turned, and lifted in one \u003cbr\u003e  motion. The translucency of each sphere - dark at edges, luminous at center - \u003cbr\u003e  is achieved through the ink-to-water ratio in that single stroke. No second \u003cbr\u003e  chance. The red dot at each stem is a deliberate color accent, the only warmth \u003cbr\u003e  in an otherwise cool palette - a device that makes the whole composition breathe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e- Leaves (mokkotsu, 没骨): The leaves are painted with undiluted sumi in wide \u003cbr\u003e  flat strokes -no outline, maximum ink load - creating the deep black-green \u003cbr\u003e  mass that gives the grapes their luminosity by contrast. The serrated edges \u003cbr\u003e  are suggested, not drawn; the vein structure implied, not mapped.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis tension between the soft and the forceful, the pale and the dark, the \u003cbr\u003etranslucent and the opaque, is the central artistic problem of budō-zu - \u003cbr\u003eand this scroll resolves it with confidence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe artist signed with the brush name 峰 (Mine\/Hō - \"Mountain Peak\"), \u003cbr\u003ewith preceding hiragana characters forming a complete gago (literary \u003cbr\u003epseudonym). A large square red seal below the signature contains the artist's \u003cbr\u003eformal name -a seal of considerable visual authority for a work of this scale.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEstimated period: Taishō to early Shōwa era (c. 1910s–1940s), based on \u003cbr\u003estylistic analysis of brushwork, pigment handling, and mounting materials.\u003cbr\u003ePaper shows authentic foxing (狐斑, kihan) - age spots consistent with the \u003cbr\u003eperiod, a natural mark of time that adds to the genuine character of this work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗧 \u0026amp; 𝗠𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHorizontal yokomono (横物) format - wider than tall - making this scroll unusually \u003cbr\u003eversatile in Western interiors. Display above a console, mantelpiece, or sideboard \u003cbr\u003eas readily as in a traditional tokonoma alcove.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMounted in hon-hyōgu (本表具) with deep navy brocade featuring a gold cloud-and-dragon \u003cbr\u003e(雲龍) repeat - one of the most prestigious mounting patterns in the Japanese hyōsō \u003cbr\u003etradition. Gold inner border strip. A mounting of substance that frames the painting \u003cbr\u003ewith appropriate gravity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCondition: Good with honest period character. Paper shows foxing and age toning \u003cbr\u003econsistent with estimated era - this is a document of time, not a flaw. \u003cbr\u003eInk and pigments stable and vivid. Mounting intact and sound.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chikoyaki","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45151297699919,"sku":"CKY-SCR-008-NNGA-BUDO-459","price":140.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0667\/6588\/1423\/files\/IMG_E1175_result.jpg?v=1777370104","url":"https:\/\/chikoyaki.com\/products\/vintage-japanese-hanging-scroll-grapes-in-ink-budo-zu-nanga-signed-haromi-early-20th-century-zen-abundance-symbol","provider":"Chikoyaki","version":"1.0","type":"link"}