Reading Signatures and Seals on Japanese Paintings
Most Japanese paintings carry a signature and one or more seals near the edge of the image. Together they are called rakkan. Reading them is the first step in identifying a painting, and understanding how they work protects you from the most common mistakes collectors make.
Art names
Japanese artists rarely sign with the name they were born with. They use art names, gō, and many changed them several times during a career, or used different names for different kinds of work. A painter may also add a studio name, a place or a date in the traditional cycle of years. Knowing which name an artist used when helps date a painting and check whether the signature fits the style.
Seals
- White-character seals. Called hakubun, they are cut so the characters print white within a red field.
- Red-character seals. Called shubun, they are cut so the characters print red on the paper or silk.
- Seal paste. Traditionally a cinnabar paste that sits slightly on the surface and ages with the painting.
Artists often used a pair of seals, one for the name and one for the art name. Reference books reproduce the known seals of many artists, and a seal that differs in size, cut or proportion from the recorded examples deserves caution.
Boxes and inscriptions
Paintings are usually kept in a fitted wooden box. An inscription on the lid by the artist, with signature and seal, is called tomobako, the box that came with the work, and it adds greatly to confidence and value. An inscription by a later authority, such as the artist's successor or a recognised expert, confirms an attribution after the fact. For many modern artists, appraisal committees run by the artist's family or by established dealers' associations issue certificates.
Printed reproductions
High-quality printed reproductions of famous paintings, fukusei, are common and are sometimes mounted as hanging scrolls with printed seals. They are legitimate decorative objects but should never be sold as paintings.
- Look through a loupe. Printing shows a regular dot screen or flat, even colour. Real brushwork shows varying ink density, fibres dragged by the brush and ink sitting in the weave.
- Look at the seals. Printed seals are flat; real seal paste has texture and sometimes small gaps where the seal met the surface unevenly.
- Check the reverse of the paper or silk. Ink and pigment from real painting often show through.
- Watch for craft prints, kōgeiga, which combine printing with some hand-added colour. They are often labelled as such on the box.
When signature and painting disagree
Copies, studio works and later imitations exist for almost every famous Japanese painter. The style, materials and quality must fit the artist and the period. A convincing signature on a weak painting is a warning, not a reassurance. Our guide to authenticating Japanese art sets out the wider principles.