{"product_id":"vintage-japanese-hanging-scroll-plum-blossom-in-haboku-ink-few-petals-infinite-sky-signed-uso-zen-sumi-e-art","title":"Vintage Japanese Hanging Scroll — Plum Blossom in Haboku Ink — \"Few Petals, Infinite Sky\" — Signed Usō — Zen Sumi-e Art","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis vintage Japanese kakemono (掛け物) presents one of the most beloved subjects in Japanese \u003cbr\u003eink painting: the winter plum (梅, ume) - painted in the haboku (破墨) \"broken ink\" tradition \u003cbr\u003ewith bold, unhesitating brushwork and a Zen inscription that transforms a branch of flowers \u003cbr\u003einto a meditation on infinity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe inscription reads: 數點梅花 心天地\u003cbr\u003e\"A few points of plum blossom - the heart holds heaven and earth.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is not a quote from a single poem but a standalone Zen phrase (禅語, zengo) in the \u003cbr\u003etradition of bunjinga (文人画) - literati painting - where calligraphy and image become \u003cbr\u003einseparable. The few brush-strokes of blossoms are the argument; the inscription is the conclusion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e𝗨𝗠𝗘: 𝗝𝗔𝗣𝗔𝗡'𝗦 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗙𝗟𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗥\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe plum blossom (梅, ume) holds a cultural depth in Japan that the West often attributes only \u003cbr\u003eto the cherry blossom. In the Man'yōshū (万葉集, 759 CE) - Japan's oldest poetry anthology - \u003cbr\u003eume is mentioned over 100 times, more than sakura. It blooms in late winter, while snow still \u003cbr\u003efalls, making it the symbol of perseverance, resilience, and beauty that arrives before its time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor Zen practitioners and literati painters alike, the plum represents the capacity to flourish \u003cbr\u003ein adversity - the first flash of enlightenment in the long winter of practice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗛𝗡𝗜𝗤𝗨𝗘 \u0026amp; 𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗦𝗧\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painter employed haboku (破墨) - a technique where wet, heavily loaded ink is applied \u003cbr\u003ein rapid, decisive strokes that bleed and bloom into the washi paper, creating the dramatic \u003cbr\u003edark mass of the aged plum trunk. Against this weight, the blossoms are rendered in enkaku \u003cbr\u003e(円郭) - quick circular outlines suggesting petals, with a few strokes indicating stamens -\u003cbr\u003ethe maximum expression achieved with minimum means.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe composition follows the classical diagonal structure of Japanese baimei-ga (梅花画): \u003cbr\u003ethe massive trunk sweeping from lower left across the horizontal format, with younger \u003cbr\u003ebranches extending toward open space - a structure refined across centuries by the Kanō \u003cbr\u003eand Maruyama-Shijō schools.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe artist signed with the brush name 羽草豊 (Usō Yutaka) - \"Rich in Feathered Grass\" - \u003cbr\u003ea bunjin-style literary pseudonym. The signature is accompanied by two red seals: \u003cbr\u003ea rectangular kishōin above the text and a square name seal below the signature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEstimated period: mid-to-late Shōwa era (c. 1950s–1970s).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗧 \u0026amp; 𝗠𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis scroll is in the unusual and collector-prized yokomono (横物) horizontal format - \u003cbr\u003ewider than tall - which makes it exceptionally versatile in Western interiors: ideal above \u003cbr\u003ea mantelpiece, console table, bed headboard, or along a hallway.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMounting: hon-hyōgu (本表具) in blue-grey brocade with gold bamboo and gourd motif borders - \u003cbr\u003ea Kyoto-style mounting combination that gives the white-ground ink painting an elegant, \u003cbr\u003erestrained frame. The fūtai (風帯) hanging ribbons are intact.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCondition: Good to very good. Minor age toning to washi consistent with period. \u003cbr\u003eInk vivid and unfaded. Mounting intact.\u003cbr\u003eDimensions: [TO BE ADDED]\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗢 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHang from the integrated cord on any wall. The horizontal format allows display in spaces \u003cbr\u003ewhere a vertical scroll would be too narrow. No frame required. For collectors: store rolled \u003cbr\u003ein an acid-free tube when not displayed.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chikoyaki","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45147332673615,"sku":"CKY-SCR-003-SMIE-UMEK","price":230.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0667\/6588\/1423\/files\/IMG_1301.heic?v=1777289986","url":"https:\/\/chikoyaki.com\/products\/vintage-japanese-hanging-scroll-plum-blossom-in-haboku-ink-few-petals-infinite-sky-signed-uso-zen-sumi-e-art","provider":"Chikoyaki","version":"1.0","type":"link"}