“Waterfall “ Character

A large, cursive rendition of the character for "waterfall," is followed by two lines of calligraphy, in Chinese, and then the signature of the artist, reading "Kansetsu," also in cursive script. The characters were written with a brush moderately saturated with dark ink, although several of the strokes exhibit the characteristic known as "flying white," in which the hairs of the brush separate enough to turn the stroke—usually written at speed—into a sweep of parallel lines revealing the blank paper beneath.

Kansetsu was an admirer of Chinese culture and art in an era when many other Japanese artists turned to the West for models. His idiosyncratic writing style, which appears on many of his paintings, may reflect the influence of his father, a Chinese studies specialist and Confucian scholar who introduced his son to Chinese literature. Although generally classified as a painter of Nihonga (Japanese painting), he also studied Nanga (painting influenced by Chinese literati), traveled in China on a regular basis, and was recognized for his abilities by being named to the Art Committee of the Imperial Household and becoming a member of the Imperial Art Academy.