Antique Japanese Kakejiku Hanging Scroll Hand Painted Tiger Snow Moon Taisho Showa 78"L

Japanese kakejiku hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, roaring tiger in snow with moon — 雪中猛虎圖 (Setchū Mōko-zu), with original wooden storage box, Taishō to early Shōwa period

Japan; Taishō to early Shōwa period, c. 1910s–1930s

A powerful and handsomely executed kakejiku (掛軸) depicting a roaring tiger stalking through a snowstorm — one of the most commanding subjects in East Asian painting. The tiger occupies the center of the composition in three-quarter view, head turned toward the viewer with mouth open and teeth bared, the striped body rendered in amber, brown, and black pigment with considerable muscularity and anatomical authority. A full moon glows behind the animal's flank — the classic tsuki-tora (月虎, moon-and-tiger) pairing — while slender winter grasses bend in the snow-laden wind at left. White pigment dots suggest falling snow throughout the field. Paw prints in the snow at the lower right suggest the animal's approach. The mounting is a gold-toned brocade silk with a formal multi-panel arrangement. The scroll comes with its original wooden storage box, the lid inscribed 雪中猛虎圖 (Setchū Mōko-zu — Picture of a Fierce Tiger in Snow). Signed lower left with two red seals.

The tiger (虎, tora) holds a commanding place in East Asian art and iconography — admired for strength, courage, and protective power, and believed to ward off evil. The tsuki-tora composition, pairing the tiger with the full moon, is among the most enduring formats in Japanese painting, associated in part with the folk belief that tigers travel immense distances in a single night. The subject was particularly popular during the Taishō and early Shōwa periods, when demand for traditional nihonga-style hanging scrolls remained strong among households maintaining tokonoma alcoves. Please see photos for condition details including minor foxing.

• Format: Kakejiku (掛軸) hanging scroll
• Subject: 雪中猛虎圖 (Setchū Mōko-zu — Fierce Tiger in Snow with Moon)
• Medium: Ink and color on paper; silk brocade mounting
• Artist: Signed with two red seals; artist identity unconfirmed
• Period: Taishō to early Shōwa, c. 1910s–1930s
• Dimensions (art): 20" W × 48" H (51 × 122 cm); overall with mounting: 25.5" W × 78" H (65 × 198 cm)
• Storage box: Original wooden box included, inscribed 雪中猛虎圖
• Condition: Very good. Minor foxing present. Please see photos for details.