Seimei: Fresh Green 4/4-4/18

Senshin × Imatanitakako × Shobara Kazuyoshi

Imatanitakako
While working as an illustrator and graphic designer, a trip to Italy prompted an exploration of expression as a Japanese artist.
She became captivated by the sumi (ink) of her native Nara and pursues free ink expression that is not confined to the conventions of calligraphy.
She is actively engaged in a wide range of activities including installations and performances combining sumi with other materials, as well as stage design.

Shobara Kazuyoshi
Owner of a traditional mounting atelier in the ancient city of Nara that supports Japanese traditional culture
“Kasuidou”.
While making use of the beauty inherited in traditional hanging scrolls, he pursues expressions that blend into contemporary artworks and modern lifestyles.

Senshin / LIVING KAKEJIKU
Senshin brings traditional Japanese aesthetics into modern living spaces, reinterpreting wa (Japanese) culture in the form of a hanging scroll.
What we offer is not mere decoration but a piece that calms the mind and evokes the seasons and nature.
The LIVING KAKEJIKU, which imbues a space with silence and harmony and carries the spirit of ZEN, creates moments of deep relaxation and meditation amid busy daily life, weaving peaceful time into everyday living.

Paper: Japanese paper
Paper size: W200×H520
Scroll format: Tenchi attached
Scroll size: W200×H860
Jikusaki (end knobs): Ceramic, black
Box: Paper box

Delivery: Shipped within 2 business days after order

◆ About the hanging scroll ◆
This work was created by sumi artist Imatanitakako, based in Nara, and depicts the scenes of each of the 24 solar terms with free ink expression.

The “24 solar terms” divide the year into 24 seasons based on the sun’s movement; it is a traditional Japanese calendar that delicately captures nature’s changes. The budding of spring, the brilliance of summer, the harvest of autumn, the stillness of winter — these seasonal transitions have long formed the core of Japanese aesthetics.

The artist’s expression of Japan’s seasonal changes was elevated into a hanging scroll by Nara-based mounting craftsman Shobara Kazuyoshi. While utilizing the traditional form of the hanging scroll, he creates mountings that harmonize with contemporary spaces.

Characterized by a clean, slim design, this hanging scroll fits naturally into any space without imposing.
It harmonizes not only with Japanese-style rooms but also modern living rooms, entryways, and studies, and even when displayed in limited spaces it offers a quiet presence.

Seimei
The period from around April 4 to April 18 — Seimei, short for “clear, pure, and bright,” expresses the fresh, lively nature of spring.
In regions that used the lunisolar calendar such as China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, “Qingming Festival” (Seimei) corresponds to an important observance similar in significance to Obon in Japan.
It is the season when young leaves sprout all at once, flowers bloom abundantly, and everything feels pure and bright under the gentle spring breeze and warm sunlight.