Insho Domoto - Clear Summer Breeze (清夏清風)

Insho Domoto (1891-1975) was one of the most celebrated Nihonga masters of modern Kyoto, named an Imperial Household Artist in 1944 and awarded the Order of Culture in 1961. He moved fluently between meticulous figurative work and bold abstraction, founding the Insho-Domoto Museum of Fine Arts in Kyoto in 1966. This intimate hanging scroll, 'Clear Summer Breeze,' depicts a tranquil riverside hamlet of thatched cottages framed by lush summer foliage, with a villager shouldering buckets through the courtyard. Painted in mineral pigments and ink on silk, the work captures the artist's signature lyrical brushwork and atmospheric handling of summer light. Mounted as a traditional kakejiku scroll with ivory roller ends, accompanied by its original double wooden storage box with the artist's title inscription. Registered with the Domoto Insho Authentication Committee under reference number Ma-018.

Artist: Insho Domoto (Japan, 1891-1975)

Year: 1891-1975 (artist's lifetime; exact year unknown)

Medium: Painting

Materials: Mineral pigments and ink on silk

Classification: Unique

Size: (H) 37.0 cm, (W) 42.8 cm. Framed (hanging scroll mounted) size: (H) 135.0 cm, (W) 61.5 cm.

Signature: Brush signature 'Insho' with red square artist seal at upper-left of painting. Title and signature also inscribed on the inner wooden box.