Definition

1. Noun:
   • A traditional Japanese hanging scroll, typically made of paper or silk, featuring a painting or calligraphy, and mounted with a roller at the bottom for storage and display.

Usage

• A kakemono is a vertical scroll designed to be hung in a tokonoma (an alcove) in a Japanese home. It is displayed for a limited time, often to reflect the season or a special occasion, and then carefully rolled up and stored.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The tea ceremony room was adorned with a beautiful kakemono depicting a winter landscape.
  • He carefully unrolled the antique kakemono to show us the delicate calligraphy.

Advanced Usage

• "to display a kakemono": to hang and present a scroll formally.
  • For the New Year celebration, they will display a kakemono with an auspicious poem.
• "a kakemono roller": refers to the cylindrical rod (usually wood) at the bottom of the scroll, which provides weight for hanging and is used for rolling.
  • The kakemono roller was made of fine, polished cherry wood.

Variants and Related Words

• Kakejiku (n): An alternative term for kakemono, used interchangeably.
• Makimono (n): A horizontal handscroll, which is read by unrolling it section by section, in contrast to the vertical hanging kakemono.

Synonyms

• Hanging scroll: The general English term for this art form.
• Scroll painting: Emphasizes the painted or calligraphic artwork on the scroll.

Related Phrases

• "Kakemono hook": The hook or rod from which the scroll is suspended.
  • He installed a simple kakemono hook above the alcove.

Related Idioms

Noun

1. a Japanese (paper or silk) wall hanging; usually narrow with a picture or writing on it and a roller at the bottom