Antique Japanese Kakejiku scrolls

Antique Japanese Kakejiku scrolls —hanging scrolls, also called kakemono— are paintings or calligraphy on paper or silk, mounted on brocade and finished with a wooden roller (jiku) that allows them to be rolled up. They are traditionally hung in the tokonoma, the place of honour in the Japanese home, and changed with the season or the occasion. This selection gathers the main types: landscape (sansui), birds and flowers (kachō-ga), figures (jinbutsu), calligraphy (shodō) and Buddhist subjects (butsuga).

The painting combines sumi ink and hand-applied mineral pigments, often with auspicious symbolism: the crane (tsuru) and the pine (matsu) as emblems of longevity, or the rising sun as a sign of good fortune. The silk mounting frames the scene and forms part of the aesthetic reading of the piece.

In a contemporary interior, a kakejiku brings atmosphere and depth to a wall, settling naturally into wabi-sabi, japandi or minimalist spaces. Each scroll in this collection from Amaru Antiques, Barcelona is one of a kind.

Antique Japanese kakejiku of a landscape in ink on paper – Japan, circa 1900

Antique Japanese kakejiku of a landscape in ink on paper – Japan, circa 1900

Antique Japanese kakejiku of a landscape in colour on paper – Japan, circa 1900

Vintage Japanese kakejiku of Shinto calligraphy in ink on paper – Japan, circa 1960

Antique Japanese kakejiku of a crane in colour on paper – Japan, circa 1900

Antique Japanese kakejiku of calligraphy in ink on paper – Japan, circa 1900

Antique Japanese kakejiku of a samurai warrior in woodblock print on paper – Japan, circa 1890

Antique Japanese kakejiku of a woodblock landscape in woodblock print on paper – Japan, circa 1900

Antique Japanese kakejiku of a landscape in ink on paper – Japan, circa 1900

Antique Japanese kakejiku of a bird of prey in colour on paper – Japan, circa 1900