Title: Jū ni-kagetsu Fūzoku Emakimono (Twelve Months of Customs Picture Scroll), Circa 1665-1690. Over 50 Beautiful Paintings from the Kano School, and Poetry Throughout, In Two Scrolls
Author: Attributed to Kano Tanshin (Morimasa)
Condition: Good
An Early Edo Period, mid to late 17th century pair of emakimono handscrolls, roughly dubbed as Jū ni-kagetsu Fūzoku Emakimono, or the Twelve Months of Customs Picture Scroll.
As the title would entail, the scrolls depict various scenes from customs and manners of the twelve months, but there are also numerous scenes of various landscapes, mythological deities, floral gatherings, and much more. There are 30 paintings to the first scroll, and 26 to the second weaving in between great blocks of beautifully, calligraphical poetry.
The handscrolls have been attributed to Kano Tanshin (Morimasa) (1653–1718), second son of Kanō Tan'yū by his second wife, who led the Kajibashi branch of the Kanō school after 1674, and is signed. His given name was Sen Chiyo, and at childhood, he was already talented in artistry, being made to appear before Tokugawa Ietsuna, the fourth shogun, at the age of 6, to write calligraphy in his presence. He served the shogunate on many occasions, along with Kano Tsunenobu and Kano Sushin, and was appointed a Hokan in his later years in 1715. He passed away at the age of 66.
The composition of these paintings is not as well produced as his later works, so these are presumably an early production before he honed his skills further, and it is documented that at times his father Tan’yu would add the text inscriptions himself.
The emakimono paintings have been laid down and bound in scrolls for preservation, with beautiful brocade decorated covers of green floral designs against gold, and there are jikusaki (knobs). There is a lacquered wooden box to accompany both scrolls, preserving the contents.
Two brocade bound emakimono (picture scrolls) on paper, 28.5 x 1127 cm and 28.5 x 1000 cm full size. The knobs are not included as part of the measurement.
These emakimono are in good shape, with minor rubbing and wear to the covers. Both scrolls are heavily foxed and soiled, and the first scrolls has suffered several small tears and holes, the holes developed from the foxing and certain inks used eating through the paper, while the tears are mostly at the edges. The second scroll has only one small hole, but two large vertical tears repaired to the rear with early tape, and another section repaired to the rear.