This serene painting by Yamamoto Kōun captures the quiet majesty of the rising sun suspended in a veil of luminous mist. A great crimson disc emerges through soft bands of cloud rendered in gentle washes of vermilion, gold, and pale ochre. The atmospheric gradation—from the warm glow encircling the sun to the cool, receding tones that dissolve toward the lower register—creates a striking sense of depth and stillness. Kōun’s restrained palette and delicate brush-handling reveal a sensitivity to natural light characteristic of modern Nihonga, while the emptiness surrounding the central orb imbues the composition with a meditative, almost metaphysical presence. The work reflects the enduring Japanese reverence for the rising sun as a symbol of renewal, purity, and the cyclical rhythms of nature. Eschewing narrative or overt symbolism, Kōun distills the scene to its essentials, allowing the play of color and atmosphere to evoke both the transience and quiet grandeur of dawn. Pigment on silk in a silk border with ivory rollers enclosed in the original signed wooden box in a red lacquered outer wooden box. It is 66 x 225 cm (26 x 88-1/2 inches).
Yamamoto Koun 1896-1993 was born in Itami City, Hyogo Prefecture, given name: Risaburo. He graduated from Kyoto Special School of Painting where he studied under Takeuchi Seiho. Active in the pre-war Teiten and Nitten national Imperial Art Exhibitions. He was the recipient of the Kyoto City Cultural Achievement Award.
