Heart Sutra, Vintage Japanese Calligraphy, Shikishi, Zen, Calligraphy on Cardboard, Meditation Art, Buddhism, Kanji Wall Hanging

Japanese Calligraphy
Maha Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra

Age: Vintage
Japanese paper, cardboard
Very good condition

Shikishi can be described as the symbol of the Japanese art of painting.
It is usually cardboard with washi paper pressed on it and a gold border. But it can also be just cardboard.
The shikishi format has a thousand-year history.
Originally, in the Heian period, they were called shikishi-gata (色紙形) and were mainly used as tablets (labels) for monumental and decorative paintings. Until the Kamakura period, there was a tradition of attaching shikishi-gata to the tops of screens or sliding partitions. Sometimes artists would draw colored rectangles directly on the screens or sliding panels to use that space for commentary. And such painted rectangles with comments on the painting were also called shikishi-gata.
In secular painting, the shikishi-gata were inscribed with the titles of the paintings or comments: prose or poetry. The content of the commentaries was directly or indirectly related to the paintings to which they were attached. Most often it was poetry, inspired and influenced by what was seen in the painting.
In Buddhist painting, shikishi-gata was used to record excerpts from sutras or Buddhist setsuwa (myths, legends, and tales).
Later, shikishi was used as an independent basis for calligraphy and painting. It is believed to have become a tradition among artists of the Tosa school during the Muromachi period.
During the Meiji period, shikishi became the main format of Japanese painting.
The most common size of shikishi is 24 x 27 cm.

The Japanese term 墨絵 (Sumi-e) means Ink (墨) and Painting (絵).
Shikishi (色紙) literally - "colored paper".

If you're captivated by vintage works from the late 20th and early 21st centuries, including scrolls, shikishi, paintings, calligraphy, oshi-e, posters and vintage prints of renowned Japanese artists, explore our other gallery, JapaneseArtY, at https://japanesearty.etsy.com.


Please note that antique and vintage artworks may have traces of time, stains and creases due to age, so please review all photos.
We upload photos where you can check the condition of the item. But sometimes the photos may not show everything. Also, the colors in the photos may not match the original. Please feel free to ask for additional photos.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Before shipping, all artworks are placed in special cardboard envelopes/boxes and cardboard to ensure their safety during transportation.


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