"Ichigyo Zanmai" (Absorption in one act)
The phrase literally means [mental] absorption (Samadi) in one action. The meaning extends to include solely devoted to achieve one's goal. This scroll was especially made at the request of one of the artist's close friends, who is a chef. The friend came out from a village in the hills, intently spent forty-five training as a chef. He is now the owner of a fine restaurant, and this scroll hangs in the tokonoma, or alcove, of the restaurant. This work displays the beauty of vertical lines carried within itself.
The tokonoma is a recessed alcove in a wall where any objects of art, such as scroll, a flower arrangement, or a sculpture is displayed. It is a distinctive feature of the traditional Japanese house.
© 1998 Doshu Kanayama