障子に映る影

障子に映る影 (Shoji ni utsuru kage), shadow's on the shoji.




Shoji being the wood framed paper screens often used as windows/doors/walls in Japan.




OK, back in the day, back in the later 1890's, there was this guy in Japan named Lafcadio Hearn, born in Greece, raised in Ireland, worked as a journalist in America. went to Japan, wrote, married, and lived a relatively short but happy life.




While reading his book, "Kokoro, Japanese Inner Life Hints", I came across this little conceit: "…the morning sun paints upon my shoji, across squares of gold light, the perfect sharp shadow of a little peach tree. ... Limned in dark blue against the yellow glow, the marvelous image shows stronger or fainter tones according to the varying distance of the unseen branches outside."




Having been startled and amused by more than a few shadows on shoji myself, I felt strongly moved to do this sumi-e.




I had my Japanese best friend check my 'spelling' of 障子に映る影(Shoji ni utsuru kage) on the right and… since I wrote vertically I should have put the 子 (ji) below the 障(sho), instead of beside it. Oh well… give me 74 more years to study and practice and I may get it right. :-)




Sumi-e, brushed ink on 'rice' paper, 14 by 21 inches. Unmounted.