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A "hanging thing", more commonly referred to as a "hung scroll", is a Japanese hanging scroll used to display and exhibit paintings and calligraphy inscriptions and designs mounted usually with silk fabric edges on a flexible backing, so that it can be rolled for storage. The origin is said to date back to the Nara period (710-794).
The "Maruhyōsō" style of kakejiku has four distinct named sections. The top section is called the ten, 'heaven'. The bottom is the chi, 'earth', with the hashira pillars supporting the heaven and earth on the sides. The maruhyōsō style also contains a section of ichimonji made from kinran, gold thread.Hyodokai & Tooru Arakawa, "Watakushi ni mo Dekiru Hyōgu no Tsukurikata Nyūmon". Shibuya, Japan 1997 pg. 63 On observation, the ten is longer than the chi. This is because in the past, kakemono were viewed from a kneeling ( seiza) position and this provided perspective to the honshi, main work. This tradition carries on to modern times.Personal Conversation, Sagawa, Taishin, Hyōsōshi Instructor of Shibuya Kakejikuya.
There is a cylindrical rod called jikugi (軸木) at the bottom, which becomes the axis or center of the rolled scroll. The end knobs on this rod are in themselves called jiku, and are used as grasps when rolling and unrolling the scroll.Masako Koyano, Japanese Scroll Paintings: A Handbook of Mounting Techniques. Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, Washington D.C., 1979
Other parts of the scroll include the jikubo referenced above as the jikugi. The top half moon-shaped wood rod is named the hassō to which the kan or metal loops are inserted in order to tie the kakehimo, hanging thread. Attached to the jikubo are the jikusaki, the term used for the end knobs, which can be inexpensive and made of plastic or relatively decorative pieces made of ceramic or lacquered wood. Additional decorative wood or ceramic pieces are called fuchin and come with multicolored tassels. The variation in the kakehimo, jikusaki and fuchin make each scroll original and unique.Hyodokai & Tooru Arakawa, "Watakushi ni mo Dekiru Hyōgu no Tsukurikata Nyūmon". Shibuya, Japan 1997 pg. 130-147Custom Japanese Calligraphy, Jonathan Maples, excerpts translated from the Arakawa text
The arrival of kakemono to the Spanish Empire prompted local artists to imitate the format as a convenient way to provide portable art.
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