A bronze caldron-shaped incense burner with the mark of the Buddha holds three sticks of incense, in the smoke of which rising above is revealed the form of a beautiful court lady. Her hair held in place by elaborate wooden combs, she wears a kimono with crane on one side and her sleeve revealing a design of flowers and grasses on the other. Excellent technical skills are revealed in the rendering of details and in the creation of a convincing apparition emerging from the smoke.
The subject, the summoning of a departed loved one through the burning of incense, originated in China, in the tale of the Han emperor Wudi (156-87 BC). Disconsolate after the death of his favorite concubine Li, he sought to be with her one more time through burning magical incense that same from Central Asia. Focusing his thoughts entirely on Consort Li, the emperor lit the incense and watched as the smoke gradually formed in the outline of a woman and then became clearer and clearer to reveal the features of his beloved. Overcome with joy the emperor reached out to touch her but the image disappeared, illustrating the basic Buddhist tenant that all things are ephemeral.
Among the many subjects painted by the master Mayuyama Okyo (1733-95) were images of female ghosts, and one of these was labelled “Picture of Summoning the Soul with Incense,” suggesting that he and his numerous followers popularized the subject during the later Edo era. Tsuji Kako (1870-1931), who lived in Kyoto, learned the Shijo manner from his teacher, Kono Bairei (1844-95), an approach that can be seen here in the attention to realistic detail. Kako served as director of the Kyoto Municipal School of Fine Arts and Crafts, and was a frequent exhibitor and prize winner at the Bunten competitions. Becoming a member of the Imperial Art Academy, with several pupils, Kako was one of the founders of the modern Kyoto school of painting.
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