Beyond the Visible
Mino Shodo
Mino Shodo is a Japanese-style painter and silk scroll artist. From an early age, he was drawn to painting and went on to master the traditional techniques of silk painting through self-study. Over the years, he has devoted himself to creating kakejiku, or Japanese hanging scrolls, continually engaging with the delicate nature of silk as a medium.
Mino believes that a good painting possesses vitality. Each brushstroke, born through persistent trial and error, reflects a deep spirituality and a quiet reverence for nature.
The Beauty of Painting on Silk
Mino Shodo is a painter who works in the traditional Japanese technique known as kenpon, in which images are painted directly onto silk. He uses kiginu, a highly delicate silk that subtly repels moisture. This material demands great skill and sensitivity to control brush movement, ink gradation, and the layering of pigments.
Each brushstroke is fluid and deliberate. Fine lines create quiet, delicate leaves; broader strokes convey strong, dynamic branches. Every line carries a quiet rhythm, as if the painting itself is breathing.
Ink and color are applied in ultra-thin layers, one over another, to create both translucency and depth. As light changes throughout the day, so too does the expression of the surface—
a living quality unique to paintings on silk.
As his works are mounted as kakejiku (hanging scrolls), they must remain flat, flexible, and smooth even when rolled. This structural consideration reflects a remarkable balance of design and technique.
The Breath Within
Mino Shodo’s works are defined by three essential qualities: dignity, individuality, and vitality.
Rather than simply replicating a landscape, his paintings express the flow of air, the quiet passage of time, and the inner world of the artist himself. His piece Bamboo Grove draws inspiration from the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route. Instead, it is a vision composed from memory and intuition—a serene grove where wind stirs, light filters through, and bamboo leaves sway gently.
Invisible elements—air currents, breath, silence—are rendered with extraordinary care. There is strength in stillness, and richness in simplicity. “Painting is like martial arts,” says Mino. To transfer an image from the mind onto silk requires repetition, doubt, perseverance, and total honesty.
This unwavering attitude gives his work depth and resonance. Mino’s works go beyond technique, speaking quietly to the viewer’s heart.
Biography
Mino Shodo was born in 1947. He is known for his refined nihonga (Japanese painting) works, particularly those depicting birds and flowers.
His work has been featured in the Bijutsu Nenkan (Japanese Art Annual), reflecting his long-standing recognition in the Japanese art world. Over the course of his career, he has received numerous honors, including an award from the International Art Council’s Portugal Exhibition, the Japan Contemporary Artists Federation Award, the Minister of Education Encouragement Prize, and the Excellence Award at the Takato Four Seasons Exhibition, and a gold prize at a collaborative art exhibition.
He has also exhibited his work at the exhibition Les Tableaux, held at Galerie Visconti in Paris, as well as at the Salon d’Automne.
