Help reading some kanji
 

I received a call from someone who inherited some artwork. He asked me to help him read/understand the writing. I told him I'd do what I could. Most I recognize, but there are a handful that, either through them being written in script I can't read, or due to wear and tear parts are missing, I can't make out. I was hoping one of the skilled people here could help.

The first says 山峡乏秋, right?


The second I can't make out. Help?

Finally, the third says 松田春？. What is the last one? And did I get the 春 correct?

Thanks!

the first one is 山峡之秋, not 乏

second is 春畝作. If it was calligraphy he would write 書. So this must be a painting.

and third 松田春畝 http://artisjapan.net/default.asp?action=1&num=2795


btw. that seal states something else than 春畝 (畝 maybe, but i cannot find corresponding form of 春 in seal script, tough, mind you, artis may have multiple pen names)

edit: oh wow, I found a corresponding form of 春 in seal script. So this is definitely his seal (春畝).
Here is the little devl:



By the way, this is a great opportunity to see how complex is the seal script.

Ryuurui, I had a feeling you'd deliver!

So 山峡之秋 is read さんきょうのあき and means "Autumn in the Ravine," right? It's not a name of a person; it's presumably the title of the painting, I guess.

And yes, it is a painting.

Mhmm, the reading is a different story. This is most likely a 漢文 taken from Chinese literature (http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/15580584.html, but it is a guess only) and I reckon it will have a more poetic (traditional) reading, like やまかいのあき. Although the reading you are giving is also correct.

山峡之秋 is unlikely a name of a person, and it probably describes the painting itself, or explains its ambience, but again, only a guess on my side as I have not seen the painting.

I had a feeling it'd be a reference to a Chinese classic because of its nature as a ４時熟語.

Yeah, I think it is a classical Chinese four-verse.

One thing is certain, that his calligraphy is really good (and his bio says that he was a painter not a calligrapher), and I can see that his brushwork has solid foundations. It seems that that four-verse's style is based on works of 颜真卿 (Yán Zhēnqīng, 709–785). Calligraphy and ink-painting are sister arts, and they suplement each other. Usually both disciplines are studied in deapth, especially by more renowned artists. So, if that seal is authentic, this scroll (i presume it is a scroll) may be worth a bit.

I just heard back from him. It is a scroll, and it's painted on silk. He inherited it from his father, who bought it from an estate sale years ago of a man who was a collector.

Silk is even more priced than paper (though it depends on paper, I saw some hand made sheets for kana, A3 size, 250$ each), as painting/writing on it is much more expensive. Another thing is that one needs to be really skilled with a brush to write on silk. Its surface and ink blur abilities make it really difficult to write on. If the scroll is from the collector it means that it is most likely authentic.

Wait. Is it 「山峡之秋」 that you guys are calling a 四字熟語? If so, that it no 四字熟語; It is just a phrase.

I did not call it a 熟語, i said it is a Chinese four-verse. Typical length for Chinese classical poetry. On the other hand, many of those became 四字熟語.

My mistake. I always thought any 4-character phrase, particularly those from a Chinese work, would be called a ４字熟語. Lesson learned!

High Kyle,
Googling and should be working. Decided to throw the pics of the scroll up here after finding you LOL. Hopefully these are better than what I sent you. Hope you all enjoy them. I see the puzzle is starting to come together.

Here is a much clearer picture of the seal I was able to take

Beautiful work. It reminds me of classical Chinese ink-paintings. 山峡之秋 in its full glory.

Any idea of who the artist is, or it's value, I know most times these are almost impossible to figure out but it's worth a shot. I would really like to get this insured, if it has value.

The artist is Matsuda Shunhou. I'm sorry; I thought I clarified that in one of my emails to you.

@dmeyers look at the beginning of the thread, I explained it there.
I can add that the last sig. picture you posted is much more crisp and one can appreciate the brushwork of this master. He is skilled in both disciplines (calligraphy and ink-painting) and dead as well (sadly), so his works might be quite pricey. Also, he is listed in the Japanese artists DB. I gave a link to his name few posts back.

I would like to thank you all for your help, guess I'll need to get this apraised now for insurance and probably look into getting this framed behind some UV glass. It is way too nice to have rolled up on a shelf where nobody can enjoy it. Although I may have to take out a loan to do it, this painting is 54" long I can imagine it's not going to be cheap to get done correctly. Take care everyone. It has been nice meeting you.

If this work is framed as hanging scroll (掛け軸), with a wooden axis at the bottom, etc., then removing it from its original framingand inserting it into a glass frame, will significantly reduce its value. When I have more time, I should write a post on my blog about hanging scroll handling, so you wll know how to do it. How did you obtain the work. Wasn't it packed in a wooden box?

Post a picture of the bottom of that scroll, with clear close ups on the foldings of materiall, etc. so then I can see how it's been made. If this scoll is hand-made, and I presume it is, you will ruin it by reframing it.

It was just rolled up on my dad's dresser for years. I talked to my mom and she said he actually got it as a tag along piece at an estate auction when he bought a box of 1800's bibles he wanted. Currently it is just attached to the paper on the scroll by a few pieces of tape.

Oh God, i'd strangle whoever raped that scroll. If you are located anywhere near Japan / China / Taiwan, this scroll can be mended. Whatever you do, make sure that the glass does not squash the fabric, and that you can unmount it at any time. For the time being, you could keep it rolled up, and use some bug repellant sachet.