Original painting and calligraphy by Ōtagaki Rengetsu (1791–1875), Edo Period, 19th century.

An elegant Japanese hanging scroll featuring an original fan-shaped painting by the celebrated Buddhist nun, poet, and artist Ōtagaki Rengetsu. Originally painted on a fan, the work was later mounted as a hanging scroll. The composition suggests a tranquil, atmospheric mountain landscape rendered in delicate washes of blue, gray, and muted violet, with distant peaks emerging through layers of mist.

Across the landscape, Rengetsu has inscribed a waka poem in her distinctive, graceful kana calligraphy, creating the intimate union of poetry, painting, and calligraphy for which she is renowned.

Poem:
Tachi yora n kage mo natsuno no,
kusamura ni,
tsuyu wo motome te,
tobu kochou kana.

Translation:

“Rambling about,
no shade in the summer fields,
over the thick grasses,
looking for drops of dew—
a butterfly in flight.”

The fan painting is framed by an elegant brocade mounting, with finely patterned textile borders and muted green silk, completing the work in the traditional kakejiku format.

A particularly evocative example of Rengetsu’s art, this scroll brings together her poetry, calligraphy, and painting in a quiet meditation on nature, transience, and the fleeting beauty of summer.

Dimensions:  Total size: 46 1/4″ high x 18″ wide (20 1/4″ including ends). Size of art: 11 1/2″ high x 16 1/4″ wide.