Postwar Japan: The Shape of “New Calligraphy”
After World War I, Japanese society changed drastically, and so did calligraphy. It was re-branded as an art form, rather than general education, and a vigorous new movement developed. The post-war era of calligraphy is notable for its change in style.
Ideas of democracy, and individualism started to become expressed in works of art, and with these changes the brush moved away from practical use, public exhibitions becoming the main venue for presentation.
During the postwar world of calligraphy, both traditionalists and innovators became stimulated by the new environment, creating a new type of sensibility. In this time, some calligraphic pieces are inspired by characters but separate the meaning of words from their form, while others no longer use letters. Some works are inspired by letters, but separate the meaning of the word from its form, while others no longer use characters at all, sticking to the abstract.
While these works vary in style, all of the artists are earnest in their efforts to address the question of, “What does calligraphy mean in the modern age?”
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The first half of the 20th century marked the opening of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, and the start of large-scale exhibitions. In order for calligraphy to stand out in such a large venue, a new style of display utilizing installations of large, eye-catching characters in various places to create a showcase for the calligraphy was born.
１ Piece 65-1
WAIDA Kaname （1911-1967）
Born into a paulownia wholesaler family, Kaname wanted to become a painter, but gave up the idea when he was opposed by his family. After being the occupation, he closed his family business and taught himself calligraphy. In 1956, he founded the Kuroshio Calligraphy Association. He actively sought a variety of expressions, including using mediums like wood, leather, cloth, glass, and other materials in addition to canvas and paper. Some of his works are craft-like, with lines sharpened with a knife.
This piece is black and white like regular calligraphy, but instead of ink on painted paper, he used paint on canvas. It is accompanied by a numerical year and an alphabetical name, and has been framed in a Western-style frame. He incorporated Western concepts such as abstract and action painting into his works.
２ Meibōkōshi
KAGAWA Shun-ran （1896-1985）
Shun-ran began with traditional expression and pursued works that highlighted form. She deepened the concept of beauty in calligraphy. Shun-ran’s works pass the test of time.
Since her childhood, she was a fan of Mondrian and Klee. Her pieces transcended borders, retaining a modern essence across distance and time, gaining global recognition.
An exhibition in New York in 1952 was the beginning of a series of international exhibits that followed.
The characters 明䏬(めいぼう)晧(こう)歯(し) mean “bright eyes” and “white teeth.
This piece explores blotches and lines of light ink.
In addition to calligraphy brushes, Shun-ran also uses painting brushes. Her brush strokes aim to create curves, going from light ink first and before it dries, adding dark ink creating a three-dimensional effect.
３ Machi
KAGAWA Shun-ran (1896-1985)
Machi“街” stands for city.
Since her childhood, she was a fan of Mondrian and Klee. Her pieces transcended borders, retaining a modern essence across distance and time, gaining global recognition.
４ Piece 67-11 (1967)
HIDAI Nankoku (1923-1999)
Hidai Nankoku was born in Kanagawa as Hidai Susumu. He studied under two men who are seen as the “fathers of modern shō calligraphy,” Hidai Tenrai and Hidai Shōkin. After the war, he moved away from readable calligraphy pieces, and began making pieces that were a mix of visual art and calligraphy. Soon after, he revealed a piece that is the perfect example of this mix of kanji and visual art, “Den no Variation” – the different variations of electricity. His work had a great impact on the world of formative arts after the Second World War. He had a very active career, and was even invited to teach at universities throughout Europe and America. He also experimented with a variety of tools and materials in his pieces.
This piece in particular was made using washi and acrylic paint, as well as old sumi. This technique was used in order to make the texture of the lines stand out and put focus on them. More durable than most calligraphy pieces, this piece also has a unique glow to it.
５ Nobara – Wild Rose
TAKESHI Sōfū (1913-2008)
Showa 24(1949)
TAKESHI Sōfū was born in Gunma prefecture. He studied under HANDA Shinrai and HIDAI Tenrai. He attempted a variety of expressions, such as using musical scores as a canvas. He consistently sought a style in which he intentionally strayed from portraying the characters as words, sometimes departing the literary nature of the work.
“Heidenröslein” is a well-known composition by Schubert and Werner, and the score for this work is by Schubert. The score for this piece was written by Schubert. Known as “Nobara” in Japan, it has been a popular piece since the Meiji period (1868-1912), and became a standard choral piece with the spread of music fever after World War II. 1949, the year this piece was created, was the year that Schubert’s “Heidenröslein” was adopted into the school music textbook.
The lines in this piece are light and delicate, as if to express Goethe’s poetic sentiment. The boy in the original poem seems to overlap with Takeshi’s youth, a young samurai, who is walking directly toward the path of calligraphy with longing and conflict in his heart.
TAKESHI Sōfū studied traditional calligraphy diligently and continued to create forms that are the opposite of traditional concepts of calligraphy while looking at their origins. He seems to have been continuously questioning where the essence of calligraphy lies.
６ “Fūkoku” – Carving the Wind
NAKUI Yūzō（1924-2013）
NAKUI continued to create pieces relating to the theme of “Fūkoku” from 1990 until his death in 2013. The jet-black surface of the paper, upon closer inspection, reveals a three-dimensionality with the presence of numerous wrinkles and slight blank space. The artist seems to have consciously captured the passage of time in the biting winds of Aomori, where the weather is bitterly cold. It also overlaps with Nakui’s taciturn personality.
The word “fuuka,” which includes the character for “wind,” Nakui says is “a symbol of the arrogance of people who have lost sight of the essence of life”. He also says that the word “sky” encompasses everything while awaiting the creation of human beings.
In the “Fūkoku” series, the margins gradually become smaller and smaller. The black surface of the paper is created by drawing lines, like the yearly rings of Nakui’s own tree of life. This last piece is not completely invaded by black. We can see light in the jet black. This was his last piece.
７ “From the Seed of a Tree”
OSAWA Chikutai （1902-1955）
In the past, the government enforced a law forcibly isolating people affected by leprosy. After the war, the policy of needless isolation continued even though the patients were cured. In this piece, the figure of a person living with suffering is expressed in powerful dark ink. Calligraphy is not only an art form that seeks beauty, but also a means to express the heart.
８ Doino-umiwa
KANEKO Ōtei（1906-2001）
Ōtei’s works are a mixture of kanji and kana, which makes his text feel close to the sensibilities of modern people. He established a new field of calligraphic expression with his style.
9 Santouka Ku “Mattaku Kumo ga Nai” – Excerpt from a poem by modern poet, Santōka, “Not a Cloud in the Sky” (2013)
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 what were overflowing with lyricism. This poem is written about a beautiful sunny day, with not a single cloud in the sky. It’s reminiscent of the scenery one would see in Hokkaidō, the northernmost prefecture of Japan.
10 Iroha-uta (1982)
CHIYOKURA Oshū (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.
11 Shunshoku (1989)
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 is a poem that only uses the character “る” (pronounced “ru”). Visually, it’s reminiscent of tadpoles swimming around. Surely this piece has a very Spring-like quality to it. At a massive length of 21 meters, this piece of calligraphy is almost more like a painting. Although Chiyokura produced this late in his life, you can still feel the vitality and his passion towards calligraphy radiating from it.
12 “Howl”
UEDA Sōkyū (1899-1968)
Well-versed in the tradition of calligraphy and a prolific author, Ueda was one of the major leaders in calligraphy of the postwar period. He expanded the scope and techniques through his calligraphy.
Here, he uses lighter ink on the belly of the brush and darker ink toward the tip of the brush to create an uneven ink color, and the paper, which does not bleed easily, captures the brush strokes well. His sharp writing style and three-dimensional “howl” expresses the essence of that word.
13 Chō-sai-bo-en – Salted Vegetables in the Morning, Licking Salt in the Evening
OSAWA Gakyū (1890-1953)
Gakyū, who had a profound knowledge of literature, painting, music, education, and agricultural issues, considered calligraphy to be the best means of expressing his personal sentiments, but was concerned that the world lacked a free and individualistic voice. In his works, Gakyū imbued the atmosphere of the times as he felt it, and expressed his respect for humanism.
This work is reminiscent of the lives of people living hard lives in farming villages, “eating salted vegetables in the morning and licking salt in the evening. The dark black ink is powerful and soulful, dominating the entire surface of the paper.
14 －Kyū－
NAKAJIMA Yūsui (1907-1986)
This piece is based on NAKAJIMA’s impressions of seeing a towering mountain range from the hill of a temple in Athens. He has commented that it reminds him of the ancient peoples worshipping the gods, transcending boundaries of East or West. The piece itself is an abstract interpretation of the kanji character “丘“, meaning “hill,” written in ancient script style. The distinctive light-colored ink blurs the boundaries of the image.
What are ancient characters?
Kanji, or Chinese characters, are some of the oldest characters in the world. Here, we will explore the origins of those characters. Carvings on tortoise shells, cattle bones and bronze vessels from the Shang dynasty (1600B.C.E.~) are called kinbun. These were the origins of shokeimoji, or pictographic kanji. They were also an important tool for communicating with the gods, and originated over 3000 years ago. These characters have a primitive, simplistic yet spiritual appeal to them, and we hope that you can appreciate the world of ancient characters through this exhibit.
15-18
Tokuno Taikū(1914-1974), who was a leader in postwar calligraphy, pursued the possibilities of modern calligraphy while expanding his range of works to include highly figurative and single-character calligraphic works.
15 Kazan – Volcano
Showa 33 (1958)
In this work, the artist was conscious of the height of the viewer’s eye and increased the margin at the top of the paper. With the signature being stamped at the top, the balance of space is achieved. It is as if we can feel the energy of a volcano. The folding screen also creates a three-dimensional impression of a mountain range. The artist completed the work in the cold month of January, when there was no heating, with so much vigor that he was sweating.
16 Grassy Meadow
Showa 38 (1963)
According to the author, this work, was in its conceptual stage for over ten years. It was written using the old Chinese character “艸” for “grass” and took four days to complete. The visual gradation of the tens of thousands of “grass” characters evokes the image of a meadow.
17 Shina
Showa 39（1964）
This piece was painted in the image of a large rock garden at a temple. The character “品” refers to the quality of a thing, or its inherent value.
18 Kegai
Showa 48 (1973)
Two characters are depicted here. They mean, “off center and out of power”. The characters can also mean uncivilized or barbaric. The meaning seems to be superimposed on way the characters are written as well. The script is based on an ancient Chinese type.
19 “Please do not read.”
Tamura Kūkoku (1935-2021)
Tamura says that writing, engraving, copying, casting, stamping, and rubbing are the main activities of calligraphy, and that “stamping” is also in this category. Here, words are expressed in type and punctuation marks, which are not used in calligraphy. The type-font is is all written with a brush. The paradoxical expressions are layered on top of each other, making the viewer realize that the realm of calligraphy has expanded in the postwar period.
20-26 KAGAWA Hōun (1904-1977)
“Tenkoku” refers to characters engraved on a stone. “Kokuji” refers to characters engraved on a wooden board. In order to accommodate displays at large exhibition halls, “tenkoku” stone engraving evolved into “kokuji” wooden engraving.
20 Kissho Auspiciousness.
21 Banju-mukyō Words of hope for a long and unlimited life.
22 Kyōzonkyōei Coexistence and co-prosperity.
23 Hyakushi A Hundred Children.
24 Mizunosyūgō The Gathering of Water.
25 Mumon Features no special entrance. Indicates receptivity.
26 Tenkakeru-uma Horse Riding Through Heaven
27 Rakan (1962)
TSUDA Suitai (1911-2000)
Tsuda was born in Tokyo. He studied old Chinese rubbings by himself, and being influenced by his brother, Murata Ryōtai, he eventually took over the calligraphy school family business. Although he emphasized the properness of the characters, occasionally he would have wild outbursts of unique expression as well.
The title of this piece, “Ragan”, refers to the enlightened saint in Buddhism. Here he also used paints that are commonly used in traditional Japanese paintings, to give an overall mysterious feel to the piece. It almost looks as if the characters are dancing.
28 Nenge-Bishō
MATSUMOTO Hōsui (1900－1988)
Matsumoto was born in Ehime prefecture in 1893, as Matsumoto Eiichi. He studied under Kondō 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 means to express the act of conveying sentiments of the heart without using words. Different calligraphic styles are used together. On the top, the word for Shaka is written in seal script. In the lower part, the word for a disciple who understands and smiles is written in cursive. Older forms of the characters are sometimes used to show respect.
29 Shōkan
MATSUI Joryū (1900－1988)
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.
His style of writing was established as a distinct style of Japanese calligraphy After World War II.
His choice of wording for this title emphasizes his admiration for the classical style, and his characters embody a feeling of antiquity.
Shodō is an attempt to express one’s unique sense through the use of classical characters.
30 Tenshin ¬– Divine Will (1966)
TESHIMA Yūkei (1901-1987)
Teshima Yūkei was born in Kochi prefecture as Teshima Namiki. He first studied under Kawatani Shōtei, and then after moving to Tokyo, under Hidai Tenrai. He began making artistic pieces early in his career, manipulating the dark and light areas of the sumi ink with ease. Many of his works are also characteristic of his use of blank space. He aimed to produce pieces that not only conveyed imagery through the contents of the words, but also through the appearance of the characters, regardless of whether they were single-character kanji calligraphy or kanji calligraphy using multiple characters called, “shōsho”. Two of his famous pieces, “hōkai” and “hōgyū” gained international acclaim, and were an important key to the internationalization of shō calligraphy. His skillful use of blank space here is characteristic of his works, leaving a sort of lingering feeling in the viewer. The word “tenshin” means “heart of an angel”, and also refers to the center of the sky.
31 Hisakatano
IMAZEKI Shūchiku (1909－1989)
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.
32 A Message from the Ancients（1997）
OGAWA Gaboku (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.
33 Kyūyokō
AOYAMA San-u (1912-1993)
Born as Aoyama Fumio in Aichi prefecture, San-u studied under Nishikawa Yasushi. He was one of the major influential calligraphers after the Second World War, and known for his ability to skillfully produce both modern style pieces as well as pieces themed in classical poetry and other scholarly works. From hieroglyphic Chinese characters that were carved onto metal to Ming and Shing dynasty scripts, San-u dived into a great variety of classical calligraphy. This piece in particular piece shows its roots in Chinese calligraphy. His pieces, which are known for expressing their own, unique characteristics, have gained international acclaim throughout the years.
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