How to Read a Japanese Hanging Scroll (Kakejiku)

The parts of a scroll

The work itself, the painting or calligraphy on paper or silk, is called the honshi. It is mounted in layers of fabric. Narrow horizontal strips called ichimonji sit directly above and below it. A border called the chumawashi frames the work, and the larger top and bottom panels are called ten (heaven) and chi (earth). The top panel is longer than the bottom.

In the common Yamato style, two thin strips called futai hang down from the top. At the bottom a wooden rod, the jikugi, gives the scroll its weight and lets it be rolled up. Its end knobs, jiku-saki, serve as decoration and handles. Some styles leave out the ten, chi, and futai.

• Honshi: the painting or calligraphy
• Ichimonji: narrow strips above and below the work
• Chumawashi: border around the work
• Ten and chi: top and bottom panels
• Futai: hanging strips at the top
• Jikugi and jiku-saki: bottom rod and knobs

The tokonoma

In a traditional Japanese room the scroll hangs on the back wall of the tokonoma, a raised alcove. Flowers, often ikebana, or an ornament may be placed on the floor of the alcove below. The alcove is thought to have developed from medieval Buddhist altar displays and became standard in the shoin style of residences, later influenced by tea room architecture.

The tokonoma is the place of honor in the room, and the seat of honor is associated with it. When you enter a room with a tokonoma, look at the scroll and the flowers before sitting down; they are the main display.

Why scrolls change with the season

Scrolls and flowers in a tokonoma are changed several times a year to match the season or a specific occasion. A scroll is meant to be hung at the right time, looked at, and then rolled up and put away. Rolling also protects the work from light and dust when it is not on display.

In tea, hosts often choose words that suggest the season. One tea organization's guide gives examples such as a word for flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, and flowing water in summer.

How calligraphy scrolls are chosen in tea

In a tea gathering the scroll is usually the first thing guests see, and the host chooses it to set the theme of the gathering. The Nanpo Roku, a tea text associated with the teachings of Sen no Rikyu, places the hanging scroll first among the tea utensils, and among scrolls it gives the highest place to bokuseki, calligraphy by Zen monks.

Murata Juko, an early figure in tea, is said to have hung Zen calligraphy in the tea room, which helped spread the practice. Today a common choice is ichigyomono, a single line of a Zen phrase written vertically. Guests may talk with the host about the phrase and where it comes from.

Seeing scrolls in temples and museums

Temples display scrolls in their halls and guest rooms, and the same rules of season and occasion often apply. In museums, hanging scrolls are usually shown for limited periods because paper and silk are sensitive to light, and works may be changed partway through an exhibition. If you want to see a particular scroll, check the exhibition's list of works for its display dates.

Writing a phrase yourself

Once you have looked at a few scrolls, writing a short phrase yourself shows how much depends on spacing and the balance of each stroke. In our beginner class at Shitaya Jinja Kaikan, near Inaricho Station, you practice basic strokes and then write a final piece to take home, with guidance in English. Many guests choose a one- or two-character Zen word.