日本の掛軸 Japanese Hanging Scrolls. Hanging scrolls are generally known as kakemono in...

日本の掛軸Japanese Hanging Scrolls

Hanging scrolls are generally known as kakemono in Japanese, which can be translated as “hanging object”. They are usually used to display calligraphy or sumi-e (shaded ink painting) and are often hung in an alcove called a tokonoma for display.

The idea of mounting calligraphy or paintings on a hanging scroll is said to have originated at the time of the Chinese T'ang dynasty in the seventh to ninth centuries. The first hanging scrolls probably developed from similar sutra scrolls that could be rolled up for portability. Hanging scrolls first came to Japan in the Heian period. By the time of the Kamakura period they had become established in Japanese society, and became associated with the tea ceremony during the Muromachi period. Originally, their close association with Buddhist scriptures meant that they were often displayed in temples. However, over the years they came to be appreciated more for their aesthetic qualities alone as works of art in their own right.