Today’s post from Ian Ropke is a continuation of yesterday’s post on Nihonga…
The classic Japanese artist’s best friend
For well over one hundred years, Saiun-do has been supplying artists with quality Nihonga pigments and brushes. The business has an illustrious history. The famous painter Tomioka Tessai (1836-1924), just one of Saiundo’s illustrious clients, recommended the auspicious name Saiun-do [Spectrum Cloud Hall] in 1890. The kanban [shop sign] that hangs in the office was painted by Tessai himself.
At first glance, Saiun-do appears to be a traditional Chinese medicine [kampo] shop, with shelves lined with jars and vials and cases of exotic-looking colored powders. These prized ingredients and how they are mixed can transform white or wooden boards into prized art treasures, and for that reason the color recipes are often closely-guarded secret formulas.
Since the beginning, Saiundo has been a favorite destination for many of Japan’s major Nihonga and Sumie (ink paintings) artists. [Read more…]