Reading and Beholding
Sho (Japanese calligraphy) is a visual art that uses language as its medium. Human emotion is captured not only in the literal meaning of what’s written, but also in the style of the brush strokes themselves. There are various ways to appreciate calligraphy. One can simply observe it, deciding whether they like it or not. One can also focus on the composition of the paper, the shade of the ink, and the brushstrokes without questioning what is written. However, arguably, the best way is to “read and behold.” The writer’s humanity is vividly reflected in their choice of text—whether it be their own words, self-composed poems, favorite characters, or well-known verses they deeply resonate with. By looking at both the written words and the unutterable emotions expressed in the brushwork, one can feel the writer’s warmth in a way that printed type can never convey. This exhibition features a variety of works, including calligraphy of self-composed poems, letters conveying heartfelt feelings, works based on contemporary language—often referred to as kanji-kana majirisho, chowatai, or shibunsho—as well as pieces by different artists using well-known texts, such as the “Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup” (Inchu Hassenka), the Iroha poem, and the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu (One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets). We hope you will take the time to read and understand the content of each piece individually, while enjoying the unique expressions that each artist has imbued into the works.
１
Yama wo yaku “Burning the mountain”
河東 碧梧桐 KAWAHIGASHI Hekigotō (1873-1937)
Born in Ehime Prefecture, KAWAHIGASHI Hekigotō was a leading modern Japan haiku poet and novelist. He studied under MASAOKA Shiki. He was a close confidant of his teacher, serving as a selector for the newspaper’s haiku column and even attending his deathbed. After MASAOKA Shiki’s death, he worked on a new style of haiku. He favored the Six Dynasties calligraphy style (a powerful, angular style of calligraphy carved into stone), and this fondness for this style is evident in his works.
“Burning the mountain” refers to the spring scene of burning all the withered grass on the mountainside. The image evokes a sense of human interaction, with people sharing drinks and discussing matters while watching the scene unfold.
２
Shinryō
高浜 虚子 TAKAHAMA Kyoshi （1874-1959）
Born in Aichi prefecture, TAKAHAMA Kyoshi was a leading haiku poet and novelist of the modern era in Japan. He studied under MASAOKA Shiki. After Shiki’s death, he became a novelist. However, alarmed by the rise in popularity of a new non-traditionalist school of haiku led by KAWAHIGASHI Hekigotō, also a disciple of Masaoka Shiki and Kyoshi’s contemporary, he returned to the world of haiku to create his own following based on the traditional use of 17 syllables and seasonal titles.
He often served as a poetry judge, selecting the best haiku works from various haiku competitions held at Naritasan Shinshōji Temple.
This haiku may also have been composed at Naritasan Temple. It conveys the image of someone praying deeply, feeling the pleasant cool breeze of autumn for the first time.
Piece number 2 evoke a sentiment of stillness, while piece number 1 evokes a sentiment of movement.
３
Donguri no mi “Acorn” （1982）
松井 如流 MATSUI Joryū (1900-1988)
Born as MATSUI Ikujirō in Akita.
MATSUI was greatly inspired by YOSHIDA Hōchiku’s calligraphic works of poems. He is known for a calligraphy style that is able to express the essence of those poems.
This poem describes a garden with fallen leaves during the autumn season.
4
Jijiyūkan
伊藤 春畝 ITO Shunpo （1841-1909）
His given name was Hirobumi, born in Suō Province (present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture). In 1885 (Meiji 18), he became the first Prime Minister of Japan. He was a central figure in the establishment of modern Japanese institutions, playing a leading role in the promulgation of the Constitution. A dedicated scholar, he was particularly skilled in the art of Kanshi (Chinese-style poetry).
These two scrolls, rendered on high-quality nume-silk (glossy silk), are housed together in the same box. The first scroll (this work) expresses a profound sense of crisis regarding the current state of affairs, likening Japan to “a small boat tossed about by the turbulent waves of the Great Powers.” The second scroll reflects his inner state during a sleepless night as the autumn wind blows. Considering the historical context of Ito Hirobumi’s life, it is likely that he was thinking of his comrades and soldiers stationed in distant lands during the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War, or intense diplomatic negotiations.
５
Yūyūyūen (1971)
川端 康成 KAWABATA Yasunari (1899-1972)
Born in Osaka, KAWABATA Yasunari wrote numerous novels. He is famous for winning the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was also known as a collector of art, and some of the pieces in his collection have been designated as national treasures. He was fond of calligraphy and often took up a brush. “ Yūyūyūen ” (有由有縁) was a favorite phrase of his. This piece was created the year before his death.
“I believe that encounters with people and connections with things are bound together by some inevitable reason.” In his style of calligraphy, he loads a soft brush with plenty of ink and carefully moves the brush to create the strokes.
6
Ronsho
日下部 鳴鶴 KUSAKABE Meikaku （1838-1922）
Meikaku studied under MAKI Ryōkoi, a famous calligrapher of the Bakumatsu (end of Edo) period. He also idolized NUKINA Sūō. After a new government was established during the Meiji Restoration, he worked on official documents as Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. However, with the assassination of TOSHIMICHI Okubo, who was serving under him at the time, he resigned from his position and devoted himself fully to calligraphy. He systematically absorbed historical calligraphy texts from Mainland China, eventually giving birth to a style of calligraphy that had never existed in Japan prior. Many of his disciples went on to become famous people.
This is one of the twelve poems in the “Treatise on the Laws and Debates.” It is a poem written by the author himself, summarizing the achievements of Yan Zhenqing. This is a revised version of an older poem, written when he was 79 years old.
７
Shichigon zekku (1891)
北方 心泉 KITAKATA Shinsen (1850-1905)
KITAKATA Shinsen was born as the third son of the head priest of Jofuku-ji Temple (of the Higashi Honganji school of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism) in Kanazawa. At the age of fifteen, he moved to Kyoto to pursue Buddhist studies. Following the Meiji Restoration, he relocated to Tokyo, where he studied Chinese poetry and the English language.
Appointed as a coordinator for overseas missionary work, he traveled to Shanghai in Qing-dynasty China, leading a group of international students. During his six-year stay, he traveled through various regions, including Suzhou and Beijing, and developed a deep friendship with Wu Changshuo, one of the most celebrated Chinese calligraphy artists of the time. Through these experiences, he played a pivotal role in introducing the latest styles of Chinese calligraphy to Japan.
８
Gorin Jūzetsu “Majo” – Olympic Games, “Enchantresses” (1964)
松本 芳翠 MATSUMOTO Hōsui (1900-1988)
MATSUMOTO was born in Ehime prefecture in 1893, as MATSUMOTO Eiichi. He studied under KONDO Secchiku. The steady strokes of his brushmanship retain their relevancy, and his script is imitated by many of Naritasan’s priests, even today. This piece is a classical Chinese poem, kanshi, that Hōsui composed himself. It was composed to honor Japanese women’s volleyball players that won the gold medal in the Olympics, who were affectionately referred to as “The enchantresses of the East”. The fan shape of this piece makes placement of the characters quite difficult, but here it almost looks as if the characters themselves are the volleyball athletes, standing in formation.
The general meaning of the poem is as follows:
“It’s easy to see why you are called enchantresses. You successively crush the competition, leaving no room for a comeback. No room for them to recover. The Japanese women’s volleyball players are incredible.”
９
Shinchinto (1978)
西谷 卯木 NISHITANI Uboku (1904-1978)
NISHITANI Uboku was born in Kobe. He studied under ANDO Seikū. After losing his left hand in an air raid, he overcame his disability and became a leading figure in postwar kana calligraphy.
This work is a poem written during a period when he was aware of his limited time left to live, upon experiencing immense pain after waking from surgery.
10
Jisaku no kotoba (2005)
新井 光風 ARAI Kofū (1937 -)
“Pieces of calligraphy from the Warring States period, or Sengoku period, allow us to hear the echoes of ancient masters.“
This is a modern calligraphy piece which expresses ARAI’s life’s work of the research of ancient calligraphic works.
11
Higashinihon daishinsai Jyūnisyu byōbu (2013)
吉澤 鐵之 YOSHIZAWA Tesshi (1954-)
YOSHIZAWA Tesshi was born in Ibaraki Prefecture. He was a leading figure in the contemporary calligraphy world, but he also works with classical Chinese poetry.
He expressed the scenery and emotions he witnessed over a year and a half. His style, reminiscent of the Chinese poet Dong Qichang, demonstrates his high level of skill.
Partial translation (5th poem)
“What thoughts were going through the mind of the dragon in the sea, causing it to tremble? A massive earthquake and tsunami struck the people. Furthermore, a radioactive atmosphere covered the surrounding area, and spring that was to be, never arrived in the Tohoku region.”
12
Moeruhaha “The Burning Mother” (1990)
千代倉 桜舟 CHIYOKURA Oshū (1912-1999)
CHIYOKURA was born in Chiba. After the Second World War, he spent time at an internment camp in Siberia. Before his internment, he wrote very calligraphy with very delicate strokes and a sense of grace, reminiscent of the classical Japanese style, but after his harsh experience in the camp, his works completely changed. He became very experimental in his pieces, and sought to create calligraphy that would be modern.
This piece features a poem by So Sakon, a close friend of the artist, written in red ink. It depicts the harsh scenes of air raids. The paper depicts an image of a Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) printed on it.
One can sense a surge of emotion in his unrestrained writing style.
13
Teppatsuno nakaemo arare (1979)
小林 抱牛 KOBAYASHI Hogyū (1925-2010)
Born in Fukui Prefecture, KOBAYASHI Hogyū moved to Tokyo and studied under TESHIMA Yūkei. He published many works of calligraphy in the style of poetry and prose, but under his teacher’s guidance, he began to work on calligraphy with fewer characters.
This is a haiku by the Japanese haiku poet TANEDA Santoka (1882–1940). After the collapse of his sake brewing business and his divorce from his wife, Taneda became a monk and, as part of his training as a Buddhist priest, he wandered throughout Japan, visiting houses and streets, begging for food and money. This haiku depicts the scene of cold hail relentlessly falling even onto an iron bowl held out on the street. The use of dark ink invokes a sense of power.
14
Ikiru -live- (2015)
安達 嶽南 ADACHI Gaku-nan (1908-2015)
Born in Kyoto, he studied under NAKANO Etsu-nan. He began teaching at an elementary school and later became a university teacher.
This is his last work, written in January of the year of his death. The power in the brushstrokes and the words themselves exude a strong will.
15
Jitto te wo miru
青木 香流 AOKI Kōryū (1917-1985)
AOKI Kōryū was born in Kanagawa Prefecture. He was active primarily in styles that combine kanji and kana.
“Jitto te wo miru” (looking at one’s hand) uses the kanji for “hand,” while the rest is written in kana.
16
Hareyaka (2025)
中野 北溟 NAKANO Hokumei（1923-）
Hokumei was born in Hokkaidō prefecture as NAKANO Bunya. He studied under KANEKO Ōtei, who is known as “the father of modern poetic calligraphy” for creating a new style of calligraphy using modern language instead of classical text. Hokumei became a full-time calligrapher in his 50s, and continued after his teacher in the style of modern poetic calligraphy. He produced many magnificent pieces that overflowed with lyricism.
The artist’s comment on this work (to be exhibited at the 2025 World Expo):
The “joy” of the people is the same as mine, and the same is true at the World Expo. I believe that people from all over the world will come to this World Expo. It is an event with such great power. (omitted) Filled with “joy” related to the World Expo, my joy became the word “bright and cheerful.” The “heart” of the vast world was brought to life in my brush. “Calligraphy is the heart.” Now, my heart is “bright and cheerful.”
Number 17 is a piece in which each calligrapher has created a work using the same subject matter.
17
“The Eight Immortals in the Midst of Drinking”
“The Eight Immortals in the Midst of Drinking” (飲中八仙歌) by Du Fu of Tang Dynasty China has been a popular subject for calligraphy since ancient times. The poem tells the story of eight drinkers who are associated with the “Eight Immortals” (god-like beings).
When people come together, that gathering place becomes a drinking place, and at the same time, a place for poetry, calligraphy, and painting. This work is written in words that express the sentiments of those who yearn for a world that is supermundane. The brush strokes are broad, as if expressing the rhythm of the heart.
18
Chōji sōkō (1960)
梅原龍三郎 UMEHARA Ryūzaburō （1888-1986）
Born in Kyoto, UMEHARA Ryūzaburō was the son of a dye craftsman. He experienced life in France and eventually became a leading painter in the Japanese Western-style painting world. He was also fond of calligraphy and collected calligraphic works.
This is a draft of the eulogy that UMEHARA prepared for FUKUSHIMA Shigetaro. FUKUSHIMA was a collector and critic of Western paintings.
While recollecting about FUKUSHIMA, who left a great legacy in the Japanese art world, UMEHARA carefully chose each word and wrote with hesitant strokes.
19
Ogurahyakuninisshu-nidai (1968)
村上 俄山 MURAKAMI Gazan (1932-)
Two Poems from the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu (One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets)
Born in Hiroshima Prefecture, MURAKAMI Gazan studied calligraphy under KUWATA Sasafune. Alongside his calligraphic training, he developed a deep interest in ryoshi (decorative writing paper) and often created works using paper he had dyed and decorated himself. In this work, pairs of the same classical poem are brushed onto sheets of ryoshi that vary in both size and decorative technique. Translator’s Note on the Title: The title Ogura Hyakunin Isshu-nidai indicates a work where poems from the famous anthology are presented in pairs (two of each), bound together in an accordion-style folding album (orihon).
Hyakunin Isshu
Hyakunin Isshu (百人一首) is a classical Japanese anthology of one hundred Japanese waka by one hundred poets. Hyakunin isshu can be translated to “one hundred people, one poem [each]”; it can also refer to the card game of uta-garuta, which uses a deck composed of cards based on the Hyakunin Isshu.
The most famous and standard version was compiled by Fujiwara no Teika (1162–1241) while he lived in the Ogura district of Kyoto.[1] It is therefore also known as Ogura Hyakunin Isshu (小倉百人一首). (Quoted from the Wikipedia page for Ogura Hyakunin Isshu)
Meaning of this song
In this makeshift hut
in the autumn field
gaps in the thatch let dewdrops in,
but it is not dew alone
that moistens
my sleeves…
(Quoted from “Hyakunin Isshu in English” by Peter J. Macmillan)
Number 20 is a piece in which each calligrapher has created a work using the same subject matter.
20
Iroha-uta – The Iroha Poem
Iroha-uta (いろは歌) is a poem comprised of all 47 characters of the Japanese kana alphabet, each character used only once with no duplications. It’s composed in the traditional structure of Japanese poetry, using verses in the 7-5-7-5 syllable pattern for each line.
The author of the Iroha poem is unknown, but it is believed to have been composed sometime between the end of the 10th century and the middle of the 11th century.
Later, it became more widespread as a means to practice writing calligraphy, and is still often used even in the modern era. From this usage, the word “iroha” has come to mean the basics or fundamentals of something.
There is no clear explanation of the meaning of the Iroha poem. The commonly accepted interpretation is the Buddhist interpretation of it, which is that the poem is about the impermanence of things.
The translation of the poem reads:
“The flowers, with their colors so bright they have their own fragrance, will wilt away. Who in this world can remain unchanged? I will not dream fleeting dreams, transcending this world, nor absorb myself in drunkenness.”
