Japanese Ink Wall Art for People Who Love the Quiet Side of Japan

You skip the opening hours and read the legends instead. In Kyubi, the Golden Kitsune a white fox sits on a dark rock above the mist while golden tails sweep out around it in wide strokes. In Japanese folklore a kitsune grows more tails as it grows older and wiser, up to nine, and the two characters above the red seal in the upper right read kyubi: nine tails. A torii gate and a small pagoda stand in the mist behind the fox. It's one of the boldest prints of the twelve; if you like open space around a subject, the koi further down is the calmer pick.

For you, the whole trip had one fixed point, and everything else was planned around it. In Mount Fuji, Brushed in Gold the snow still lies on the summit while gold sweeps across the sky and settles on the lake below. Then look down to the right: on a point of dark shore under the pines, a small stag stands at the water's edge. Most of this picture is sky and water, and that's its strength; if you want a scene packed with detail, the temple is next.

When the path gets steep, you're the one who wants to see what's at the top. In Temple Between Golden Cliffs a temple sits between two cliffs streaked with gold, under a moon so large it fills the sky above the roofs. Pines lean out from the rock, mist pours through the valley, and at the bottom a river of light runs between the stones. It's one of the busiest scenes in the collection; for something sparer, look at the frog or the koi.

On any walk you hear the waterfall first, and the route changes. In Waterfall of Yin and Yang the water drops in a long white line through a ring of dark cliffs and pines into a pool of gold. A golden yin and yang hangs above the peaks like a moon, with a small flight of birds beside it. Look for the tiny pagoda at the foot of the falls, standing on the rocks by the spray. If you'd rather not have a symbol in the sky, the larch landscapes at the end are for you.

You like the blossoms best when nobody else is looking at them. In Golden Moon Over the Old Sakura an old cherry tree leans out over a still lake under a full gold moon, and its golden blossoms drift down toward their own reflection. Across the water a torii gate stands in the mist. Low in the picture, a single lotus glows gold on the surface. Much of this print is pale and open; if you want deep blacks, the lake at the end has more of them.

You take the quiet seriously and yourself a little less. In Zen Frog on a Golden Lotus a frog sits on a lotus traced with gold, hands pressed together, eyes half closed. Above its head a thread of smoke turns into slow golden spirals, and gold rings spread across the dark water below. The red seal in the corner reads zen. If a frog with folded hands makes you wince rather than smile, the waterfall is the more serious choice.

Some couples talk all evening; others sit in the same room for hours and are perfectly happy. In Koi Spirits of Moon and Sea two koi circle the reflection of the full moon in a still pond, one dark and flecked with gold, one pale as moonlight. Rings spread through the water around them, and a branch of golden blossoms reaches in from the upper right. The red seal reads en, a bond that was meant to be. Most of the print is open ivory ground, so it's for someone who likes a wall with room to breathe.

You know how much patience it takes to get anything to grow. In Terraces of Golden Harvest rice terraces curve around a hill like ripples of gold, step above step, while mist rises from the valley and old pines stand on the crest. Look along the edges of the terraces for the cranes: four on the upper left, two more on the right. The red seal reads abundance. The gold runs in broad, loose strokes right down to the lower edge, so it suits someone who likes movement in a picture more than stillness.

You've stood at a viewpoint in thick fog and stayed, just in case. In Golden Peaks in Mist it has cleared: the peaks rise out of the mist above a quiet lake, and the light turns their highest ridges gold. Pines and golden larches crowd the shore, and among the dark trees a small torii gate stands half hidden. The gold here sits on the ridges and in the trees, with no sun or moon; if you want a gold disc at the center, the next print has one.

You meant to be gone twenty minutes. In Where the Forest Turns to Gold a band of golden larches glows through the mist between dark pines, and ridge after ridge fades toward a sun like a disc of gold. A flock of birds crosses the valley. On the hill in front, small against the trees, a stag stands and looks back toward you. The red seal in the upper right reads forest, three trees written as one character. If you'd rather have water in your picture, the next two have it.

You'll take the long way if it runs along the water. In Misty Valley of Autumn Gold a river winds through the mist between dark pines and golden larches, under a gold sun that hangs over the mountains, while a few birds cross the sky. In the upper left, a short column of characters stands above the red seal: golden autumn leaves, and brocade. With trees in front and mountains far behind, it has the longest view of the larch landscapes.

You're up before the house, with a cup and no plans to talk yet. In Still Lake of Golden Larches golden larches and black pines meet at the edge of a still lake, and the water holds their reflection like a second autumn. A few ducks drift across the gray surface, the only movement in the fog. The red seal in the upper left reads mirror. There's no sun, no gate and no story to follow here, only water and trees, so if you want a tale in your picture, go back to the fox. This one is the hour before anyone else is up.