Preliminary identification
Photo reference
4 uploaded photos
Overview
This is a complete set of four Japanese hanging scrolls (kakejiku) depicting ideal classical landscapes (sansui) through the four seasons. Painted on silk with ink and color, each scroll showcases exquisite detail, accompanied by its original fitted wooden tomobako storage box and authentication documentation.
Story
Japanese classical painting tradition called for displaying specific seasonal landscapes to honor passing time. Created by Mochizuki Gyokusen, a prominent artist of the Kyoto painting circle, this set remains together in its original box after a century.
Maker / Origin
Mochizuki Gyokusen (1834–1913, or Gyokusen III) was an influential Kyoto painter who served as an imperial court artist during the Meiji era. His lineage helped bridge traditional Japanese Maruyama-Shijo style painting with modern artistic institutions in Kyoto.
Condition & Value
The scrolls show light toning and minor age spots on the silk borders, but the painted imagery remains remarkably vivid with no major tears or visible water damage. Having the original fitted wooden box significantly preserves value.
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Comparable demand stays strongest where maker, originality, and venue confidence line up. Broader examples still trade, but the range tightens quickly when provenance, condition, or selling lane fit is missing.
Best Venue
Specialty auction or a focused dealer with buyers already in this lane.
Signed example with light edge wear and original frame.
Comparable format with stronger provenance and cleaner surface.
Smaller related piece with visible craquelure and trimmed margins.
Period match with softer condition and weaker subject matter.
Close market lane comp with similar material and presentation.