White phoenix on a pine tree

The mythical phoenix is one of four animals associated in Chinese cosmology with the four directions. Since its arrival in Japan—by the 600s or earlier—the phoenix has been valued as symbol of peace and prosperity under a virtuous ruler.

No ordinary creature, the phoenix is said to possess attributes of various animals including a bird (beak and jaw), snake (neck), tortoise (back), and fish (tail). In the artist Sekka's hands, the white phoenix looks like a somewhat gawky swan, trailing the phoenix's signature long feathers— dappled at the tips with peacock's eyes— from a perch high on a pine tree branch. The pine symbolizes longevity, promising another kind of good fortune for the owners and viewers of this scroll.

Take a moment to note the ink outlines defining the bird's body and feathers. Then contrast them with the pine branch, painted without outlines in mottled washes of mineral color. For lichen on the branch Sekka pooled green pigment and ink onto the wet surface, a technique known as tarashikomi. This technique, along with the flat, rounded forms of the pine bough and bird, are elements of an earlier painting tradition known as Rinpa, proudly carried on in Sekka's work.