Japanese "Dream of the Clamshell" scroll, finely painted, colored inks on paper, mounted on a tan paper ten and ji, with a gold and tan, paper brocade in a floral pattern on the left and right side of the image. The makio and kakeo at the top are tan, braided silk cord and mahogany jikusaki are at the bottom. Inscribed with a short poem and a red seal, signed Kikuei, followed by two red seals of the artist, in black sosho script. Circa Late Meiji era. Image size is 15.75" wide x 31" high. Shinkiro" (蜃気楼) is the Japanese word for "mirage". It originates from an old belief that a giant clam exhaled fantastic images of distant cities. The image depicts a finely painted and detailed, unusual version of shinkiro (the dream of a clam shell) - the mirage of The Dragon King Ryujin’s palace appearing on swirling vapors in the wafting breath of a clam shell, which is held by a smiling sage wearing a long robe with a double gourd tied to his belt.