Exhibition
Exhibits on the first floor
Modern Sho Calligraphy of Chiba Prefecture
Exhibits on the second floor
Calligraphers of the Chiba Shodō Association
In this exhibition, we examine works produced by modern calligraphers who have ties to Chiba prefecture. This includes both works part of the “Modern Sho Calligraphy of Chiba Prefecture” exhibit on the second floor, as well the “Calligraphers of the Chiba Shodō Association” exhibit on the first floor, which features pieces by prominent calligraphers of the association.
Surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on three sides and Tonegawa River to its north, Chiba prefecture is an area that has been blessed with a bountiful natural environment and warm climate. Its proximity to the Tokugawa Shogunate of the Edo period also allowed it to prosper both culturally and economically. We hope that you will enjoy these calligraphic works, the fruits grown from the nutrient-rich cultural soil of this land.
1.Tōtō “丁當” (2009)
ASAMI Kinryū 浅見 錦龍 ＜1922-2015＞
ASAMI Kinryū served as president of the Shoseikai, the main calligraphy organization in Chiba Prefecture. He was the seventh president of the Chiba Prefectural Calligraphy Association. He excelled in seal script, clerical script, running script, cursive script, and small script. He left behind a wide range of works, from large to small. In his later years, he was particularly direct in his expression.
The word “tōtō” (丁當) in this piece refers to the sound that jade, the jewel of nobles, makes when it clacks against itself. The way the first strokes of the first character “tō” (丁) are written, with the obvious splashes of ink, gives the impression of a spontaneous strength, rather than beauty. ASAMI Kinryū may have been trying to convey the heart of calligraphy in his own way.
2.Self-made Words 自作のことば（1998)
KANEKO Chōshō 金子 聴松 ＜1918-2014＞
KANEKO Chōshō excelled at writing mixed calligraphy with kanji and kana in a taste of modern sensibility. He was the 6th president of the Chiba Calligraphy Association. In this piece, he expresses the harshness of nature in his own words after visiting a Buddhist grotto in China.
“If you enter, you are in the Buddhist world; if you leave, you are in a hot spring; there is no limit.”
3.Eternal Cliff Monument “悠遠(ゆうえん)なる摩(ま)崖(がい)碑(ひ)” (1994)
TANEYA Senshū 種谷 扇舟 ＜1914-2004＞
TANEYA Senshū won the Minister of Education Prize at the Mainichi Calligraphy Exhibition in 1998. He worked as a teacher at various schools, including Chiba High School, for a long time. He was the 6th president of the Calligraphy Art Institute. He was also the 5th president of the Chiba Calligraphy Association. Senshū was active in researching monuments in China before the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan, and made it his life’s work.
All six of his works praise the cliffs in his own words.
One of them, “Mount Tai,” is introduced here:
“The world’s highest and most famous mountain. It was visited by Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, who revered it as a divine mountain. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty also wrote about this huge cliff. Emperors who followed visited the mountain as well. The flower of Chinese calligraphy culture is in full bloom.”
4. Targetless Compassion “無縁慈” (1988)
TAKAZAWA Nansō 高沢 南総 ＜1911-1992＞
TAKAZAWA Nansō worked as a teacher at Chiba University. He was active in the Mainichi Calligraphy Exhibition and won the Olivetti International Award in 1975. He was the second president of the Chiba Calligraphy Association, and left behind many well-proportioned works featuring large characters.
“Mumokuji” is a Buddhist term that describes the concept of there being a function that reveals one’s own existence.
5. U-i-no-o-ku-ya-ma “うゐのおくやま” (1982)
CHIYOKURA Oshū 千代倉 桜舟 ＜1912－1999＞
CHIYOKURA Oshū was born in Chiba. After the Second World War, he spent time at an internment camp in Siberia. Before his internment, he wrote calligraphy with graceful, delicate strokes, 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 with a modern feel.
This is a piece written in the form of a passage from “Iroha-uta”. Iroha-uta is an ancient Japanese rhyming text with 47 characters in total, using each kana letter only once.
6.Kika-onza “帰家穏座” (1981)
ASAMI Kishū 浅見 喜舟 ＜1898-1984＞
ASAMI Kishu worked as a professor at universities including Chiba University. He led the Shosei-kai. He was very active and traveled to various places throughout Japan to train the younger generation of calligraphers. He was at the forefront of postwar calligraphy in Chiba. He was the first president of the Chiba Calligraphy Association. He engaged in a wide variety of activities, including painting. In his later years, he often wrote calligraphy that made use of empty space, as shown in this piece.
This piece is a Buddhist saying that talks about a traveler to returning home and settling down. The deeper meaning is about returning to a mind free of evil thoughts which ultimately leads to enlightenment.
7. Ashimotoni “あしもとに” (1987)
IMAZEKI Shūchiku 今関 脩竹 <1909－1989>
Featured in Nitten Exhibition in 1987
Born in Chiba Prefecture as IMAZEKI Shigeru
Disciple of TAKATSUKA Chikudō
IMAZEKI’s speciality is kana, the Japanese alphabet that was originally born from Chinese characters. Up until this point, kana calligraphy works were mostly seen on small-scale items that could fit on a table top, such as handscrolls and long folded paper called jo.
However, after World War II ended, pieces that would decorate the wall became in demand, which lead to the development of dai ji kana, or “big letter kana.” The play between the thickness and thinness of the lines create a sort of rhythm, a flow that you can trace with your eyes.
The kana alphabet first came about as part of the culture of the imperial court. It was always elegant and graceful, but with the changing times it has gained even more depth.
This piece showcases grazing brush strokes, referred to as kasure. Its over-all impression is reminiscent of the samurai spirit.
8. A Message from the Ancients “古代人からのメッセージ” （1997）
OGAWA Gaboku 小川 瓦木＜1911-2000＞
Born in Chiba, Ogawa Gaboku studied under Ueda Sōkyū.
He was proactive in international circles with his works. He studied the composition of the beauty of lines, and created very experimental pieces, using mediums such as canvas and oil paint, and created three-dimensional pieces which sometimes didn’t even use written characters.
This piece is part of a group of works composed during the last years of his life. It is reminiscent of ancient characters, and impresses the feeling of calligraphy’s driving force.
