Kashima Arts specializes in authentic museum quality Japanese arts spanning from ancient to contemporary pieces. Our works include pieces such as “Bokuseki” (a Japanese term for “ink trace” style calligraphy developed by Zen Monks), “Byobu” (decorative jointed Japanese folding screens), “Shikishi” (square card board with a gold trim edge used for drawings, poetry, and autographs), “Tanzaku” (long and narrow cardboard used for poetry writing), “Komonjo” (ancient documents, modern Japanese paintings, and antiques).
Our clientele includes museums, art galleries, major department store special exhibitions, and individual collectors. Our mission at Kashima is to discover and enrich people around the world about our rich Japanese and cultural art traditions.

February 6, 2012

Creator : Tsutaya Ryuukou
Title of the painting : "lions and Peonies" - Hanging scroll

　 Tsutaya Ryuko studied the painting technique of Yamato-e in the Meiji era to the Showa era. Ryuko tired to find his original view of world by using rich brilliant colors. Today, we can appreciate only a few his paintings because he passed away in early. He got special prize at Bunten Exhibitation and Teiten Exhibitation. He was also a commitee and a judge in these exhibitions. Ryuko used his favorite colors of blue and green for dots on these two white lions. Also he added sensitive light and shades on the peonies, which are stands out even on the gold. He left some "Karajishi" paintings, although these screens are very novel to see his painting skill and his good sense of colors on such big canvas as screen.

February 6, 2012

Creator : Yamashita Kiyoshi
Title of the painting : "Butterfly" - Hanging scroll

　

January 15, 2012

Creator : Maruyama Okyo
Title of the painting : "A God of Longevity" - Hanging scroll

　 Maruyama Okyo’s screen ‘The Cranes’ painted in the same year as this piece was so realistic that it received praise from everybody. This is a similar painting. The structure of the frame of the crane expresses his unique gentleness and when you look closely, you see how the thin lines create the effect of soft feathers. The almost transparent eyebrows and the beard of Jurojin are typical for Okyo’s portraits. The brush lines of the kimono have been applied very calmly in order to depict the precise forms of the garment. With this work Okyo seems to express that the natural depiction of reality is the greatest good.

December 1, 2011

Creator : Great Shomu
Title of the painting : "Calligraphy" - Hanging scroll

　 Ojomu is originally a part of 賢愚経(Kengukyo) or賢愚因縁経(Kengui Nenkyo), which is a sutra based on 69 episodes of the Wise and Foolish in thirteen volumes. It is written in a clear, forceful and imposing style. Since its calligraphy has been attributed to Emperor Shomu, it is also known by the name of "Great Shomu"(Ojomu) Although the writing paper was known as荼毘紙(Dabishi) mixed with cremated ash, it is actu ally a kind of aromatic paper that is made of grinded aromatic trees. The Imperial letter was respected because of the excellent quality of the calligraphy. Also the presence of the calligraphy is extremely important. It is imperative for the cover of 古筆手鑑. The prvenance of the album is the Kohitsu collection.

November 1, 2011

Creator : Bernard Leach
Title of the painting : "Lake Shinji" - Hanging scroll

　 Bernard Leach spent his childhood in Japan and he came back to England to study traditional Japanese beauty. He was involved MINGEI UNDO: Japanese folk art movement with Yanagi Muneyoshi, and then he made fine affectionate designed pottery. In this painting, it seems to feel the grass waving the wind. The lake Shinjko is located in Shimane prefecure. When he stayed in Japan, he visited many places. The lake must have been the one of his visited places. Warm loging feeling into his works lead to the same feeling to James Abbott McNeill Whistler who gave him influence. The calm and nostalgic scene is filled with love for Japan.

July 1, 2011

Creator : Agata Jiro
Title of the painting : "Sea of clouds" - Hanging scroll

　 He communed with mountains to absorb Japanese beauty nearly 80 years. His studies of Japanese art from the Heian to modern art of Japan and a technique of gold and silver leaf art meet natural beauty of colors of mountains, sunrise, sunset, mist, and heat haze. Then he mixed up with all those elements on his canvas. These mountains in this painting have a mysterious feeling that expressed verisimilitude and dignity. It also makes us realize an originality of Japan.

June 1, 2011

Creator : Nagasawa Rosetsu/Minagawa Kien
Title of the painting : "Rin Nasei" - Hanging scroll

　 The tile of "Rin Nasai" was a Chinese poet who lived in Song Dynasty. He severed a relationship with the world for twenty years. He loved plum trees as his wife and cranes as his children. This soft lined painting has the similar brushwork with a Rosetsu's children and puppies painting, "Issho-zu", which has painted in the late Kansei period (1789~1801). His special skill is expressing the depth of emotion even in his rough paintings. A calm face and a loose clothe of this figure depict his mixed feelings of loneliness and changeless strong mind impressively. Rosetsu is known as a "daring" and "unconventionality" painter, but he shows his different face in this painting.

February 2, 2011

Creator : Hakuin Ekaku
Title of the painting : "kannon" - Hanging scroll

　 When you think of "Kannon", most of you image of sublimity and filling with the godly love. The mysterious appearance of Kannon often shows with a large figure or brilliant colors in art.
How about this Kannon by Hakuin Eikak?
The way, which simple ink drawn Kannon quietly sits, seems to take a rest. Although she looks tired and poor with her bending back without halo on her, her gentle faint smile seems to watch over us and the simile makes us warm. That should be the Kannon by Hakuin. Also, the loose brush strokes would have the message to us that "calm down, no hush, take a break, and go forward".

November 10, 2009

Creator : Morita Tsunetomo
Title of the painting : "Children in Autumn Field" - Hanging scroll

　 This painting has the feeling of nostalgia.
In this painting, there is a boy who is trying to drop chestnuts from a tree. And the behind the boy there is another boy who is watching how it goes. Then the third one concentrates at gathering the chestnuts that dropped from the tree to the ground. Do they bring those chestnuts home, and show them off to their mothers? Or do they carry the prickle cases home together with laughing at pain of the pricks? The circumstance calmly surrounds them. We might be able to feel gentle scent of soil, slight changing colors of trees, and sigh of the autumn wind by just watching this painting.

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