Iaido dude

Thanks, Bradley. I am in the process of posting the best pieces from my collection of calligraphy and paintings by Zen masters.

Thanks, Steve. It was very satisfying to walk through the detective work. And Helen enjoyed it as well. So, now I’m allowed to hang it . I am finding that 19th and 20th Zen works are more assessable to me because Chinese characters (hanzi) are often used exclusively. The cursive script of earlier works is challenging because of the intermixing of kanji and hiragana/katagana. And then there is the highly idiosyncratic style of shodo wherein lies both the artistic vitality and the opaqueness (at least to me). The translations I have seen often require a thorough familiarity with Zen “scripture” and the historical roots of Zen in Chan Buddhism. And then complete familiarity with the artist's brushwork style.

This kind of art is undervalued, especially if produced by highly prolific calligraphers such as Katsu and Yamaoka (brushed 1 million works). However, finding an especially powerful example for $150 on Jauce, as in this case, is a bit obscene. It’s not necessary to be able to read the kanji to experience the haki of such a piece. My wife was rendered speechless.

What a wonderful story. My kyudo sensei used to sit in a folding director’s chair next to the shooting platform. New students would try to ask him questions. In his broken English, he would say, “Talk too much. Shoot!”

Nothing in the MFA Boston. I keep looking at art gallery and auction sites. Eventually, something will click and the clue(s) will lead me to the translation. Most of the artists repeated the same composition and calligraphy numerous times. And sometimes many times.

I recently acquired this new kakejiku of a splendid calligraphy work by Katsu Kaishū that inspires my iaido practice. I just managed to finish the translation; the translation of the last 5 characters was not indicated on the accompanying kakejiku-bako. My wife recognized the two verses that Katsu brushed verbatim from historical Chinese poetry. Then it became a simple matter of obtaining that translation. Katsu Yasuyoshi (勝 安芳; 1823-1899), born Katsu Yoshikuni (勝 義邦), best known by his nickname Katsu Kaishū (勝海舟筆), was a Japanese statesman, naval engineer and military commander during the late Tokugawa shogunate and early Meiji period. An advocate of modernization and westernization, he eventually rose to occupy the position of commissioner (Gunkan-bugyō) in the Tokugawa navy and was a chief negotiator of the bakufu. As a major Tokugawa commander during the Boshin War, he is particularly known for his bloodless surrender of Edo to Imperial forces, which was co-negotiated with his compatriot and fellow calligrapher Yamaoka Tesshu. As a calligrapher, he is particularly recognized for his highly refined cursive script with examples including a pair of 6-panel byobu screens and individual calligraphic works, being well-versed in the Chinese classics, poetry, and the martial arts. In the work below, Katsu brushed two 5-character verses of "Revisiting Zhaoling" by the Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu (杜甫): "A three-shaku sword in the wind dust, a military uniform for the country" (風塵三尺剣, 社稷一戎衣). It expresses praise for the heroic role of the military in the birthing of a prosperous country, which is in keeping with the Japanese Bushido warrior culture. The imagery that Du Fu paints is of a great military leader expertly wielding a powerful sword to whip up "wind dust" (this is a very visual expression) and thereby produce the conditions of land and agriculture (i.e. "country") that founded the Tang Dynasty. There is a very masculine and martial sentiment in these verses. Du Fu's works came to be hugely influential in both Chinese and Japanese literary culture. Of his poetic writing, nearly fifteen hundred poems have been preserved over the ages. He has been called the "Poet-Historian" and the "Poet-Sage" by Chinese critics. A three-shaku (35.8 cm) sword is generally associated with the Odachi or Nodachi, a long and imposing weapon sometimes used on the battlefield (my practice katana are considered long at 2.45-2.5 shaku). They were also used in ceremonies, as symbols of status, or as offerings to deities. In Zhaoling, there is a monument to the exploits of the Tang dynasty military forces. From his childhood, Katsu learned swordsmanship from the famous teacher Otani Nobutomo. He also studied under Shimada Toranosuke, a skilled swordsman who influenced him by emphasizing Zen practice alongside kenjutsu. He studied at Ushijima Kofuku-ji temple in Tokyo. Kaishū held a license from the Jikishinkage-ryu Kenjutsu school.

I contacted John a while back to do the translation for a fee, but he seemed to get confused about it and sent me a translation for another work that was already published and previously translated. After that he stopped replying. Kushner Roshi also tried to contact him on my behalf, but that effort seems not to have been fruitful either.

Hi Jeff. Yes, discovering Chosei Zen was a pleasant surprise. I have been trying to have a Yamioka Tesshu work translated and my research took me to Kenneth Kushner Roshi at Chosei Zen, whose Rhode Island sub-dojo of Chosei Zen practices Shodo as part of their Zen training. I also wrote to Zensho-an temple in Tokyo, which was founded by Yamioka in 1883, and which has a collection of his works. I have not heard back. The running cursive script is quite challenging to decipher, but I am undaunted. Having looked at hundreds of Yamioka's works, I am developing pattern recognition for his idiosyncratic, but also highly consistent brushwork. I am hoping to get lucky and stumble upon a work for which a translation is available and that points to a specific verse from well-known Chinese or Japanese Zen works. Zen masters even brush chapters from the Tao Te Ching. Then I can fill in the blanks.

Chris, I think that not being able to "read" the kanji is actually an advantage in training the eye to recognize the power and vitality of Shodo when brushed by a Zen master. There is a Rinzai Zen community in Rhode Island (USA) that practices Shodo based on the "instruction book" left by the lay Zen master, swordsman, and calligrapher Yamioka Tesshu (https://www.choseizen.org/calligraphy). They don't actually emphasize the meaning of the kanji. They replicate his cursive script as an expression of the Zen mind. Their focus is on the form. However, I have tended to collect works that have painting and calligraphy in which the two forms of expression complement each other. In this case, the meaning of the calligraphy is important. My wife is fluent in Chinese and is well versed in classical Chinese literature. She has been enormously helpful in recognizing verses taken directly from the work of famous Chinese poets, sages, and Chan masters that are frequently referenced in Zenga.

Then there is the fantastic work of Nakahara Nantenbo. I am following this kakejiku on Yahoo Japan of his often brushed nanten stick with the threat "Nanten bo if you follow the path, Nanten bo if you cannot follow the path!" His disciples got whacked either way! I knew there was a reason I didn't become a Zen monk. This one is about JPY 33,000. The finest examples in which that blob of ink on top is even more dramatically splashed like a Jackson Pollack painting go for thousands of $$.

The Torei Enji Enso is one of my favorites. It's so important that it is reproduced on the cover of Stephen Addiss's book on Zenga. In that book there is a 2 character calligraphy that is translated as "Self Revealed," which I tracked down to the then private owner through a zen art dealer and eventually acquired. I realized that there is a kind of advantage in not being able to read kanji in cursive script, which then allows one to just focus on the powerful form itself. After looking at hundreds of works by a particular Zenga master, I begin to recognize his idiosyncratic and highly consistent script. "Self Revealed" by Tetsugyu (1628-1700). He was a Chinese Obaku sect Zen master who studied with Teishu, Ryukei, Ingen, Mokuen, and Sokuhi. The last three were leading Zen masters who were also noted calligraphers of his time.

Here are a few nice "Ichi" kakejiku by other Shodo masters. I think that Kobayashi's flying white brushwork has more movement and dynamism. Adachi Taido Seibu Bunjo

This is my “Zen Bull” by Kogan Gengai (1748-1821), who was the Rinzai Zen abbot of Kogen-ji temple. He was a disciple of Hakuin Ekaku and Genro Suio. The bull appears to emerge from the Enso. “Flying white” forms the hind quarters and tail.

I've never seen “flying white” executed so elaborately!! I am reminded of one of my favorite renderings of Darumu by Seki Seisetsu included in the book “The Art of Twentieth Century Zen” by my friend Audrey Yoshiko Seo.

Although Kobayashi Taigen (1938-) has brushed numerous versions of this solitary and simplest kanji character, in no other has he used the technique of "white space" to its fullest and most vibrant effect. In Zen, the concept of "one" (or rather, "not one") often refers to the negation of duality and the interconnectedness of all things, moving beyond the limitations of individualistic perception. It's not about literal oneness, but rather about dissolving the perceived separation between self and other, subject and object, and ultimately, between reality and illusion. Zen emphasizes being fully present in the moment, without judgment or conceptualization. This includes recognizing the interconnectedness of all things in the here and now. In this sense, "one" can also refer to the singularity of the present moment, where everything is simply as it is. Kobayashi was born 1938 in Shenyang, China and raised in a Buddhist monastery when he was six years old. In 1975 he became the successor of abbot Miyanishi Genshō at Ōbai-in, a sub-temple of Daitoku-ji, Kyōto. He is a prolific calligrapher, maker of tea bowels and bamboo tea scoops for traditional tea ceremony (chanoyu).

Astonishingly beautiful. The hitsu-ana are a wonderful touch.

The passage he brushed is a very well known writing (my wife knew it from her study of Chinese classical literature and religious studies) and there is another example of this same daruma painting and calligraphy in which the kanji in question is rendered in an identical manner (below). The only difference is the variation in the way he signs. Yamaoka’s cursive script is very idiosyncratic (and recognizable), but also very consistent. His brushwork of “mu” and even his signature evolved profoundly over the course of adult life, dramatically informed by his enlightenment experience. I have asked the Rinzai master of Shodo at Chosei Zen Monastery for help translating the other work. I also noticed the commonality of those three characters to be striking (“…instead of water…”). When you study his many known works just focusing on recognizing the characters by form alone without comprehension of meaning, recognizable patterns emerge. The Chosei Zen approach is to experience the calligraphy for its expressive power rather than its literal meaning.

Daruma Yamaoka Tesshu (山岡 鉄舟) was born in Edo June 10, 1836 and died July 19, 1888. The vast majority of his works were calligraphy from the Jubokudo lineage of Shodo established by Wang Hsi-chi (Wang Xizhi), a Chinese calligrapher of the 4th century. Yamaoka created a calligraphy manual based on the 154 Chinese characters of a poem – “The Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup” – by the Tang Dynasty poet Tu Fu (712 – 770 A.D.) that is still practiced by the Chosei Zen Rhode Island Zen Dojo in the US. This powerful depiction of Daruma, the patriarch of Japanese Zen Buddhism, is a rare subject matter for Yamaoka. The calligraphy is taken directly from a famous poem Xinxin Ming (心性铭) attributed to the great Chan master Jianzhi Sengcan (鉴智僧璨). The translation is "Directly pointing to the human heart/mind, seeing one’s true nature leads to Buddhahood [直指人心見性成佛]. Brushed by Yamaoka Tetsutaro, Senior Fourth Court Rank." The Chinese pronunciation is "Zhí zhǐ rén xīn jiàn xìng chéng fó." The origin of this line is the Platform Sutra of the 6th Patriarch of Chinese Chan (Zen) Buddhism who was named Dajian Huineng or Hui-neng (638-713). The scroll painting and calligraphy (kakejiku) comes in a fitted paulownia box on which has been brushed "Yamaoka Tesshu Buddhist Layman, Bodhidharuma" on the outer lid and "May 1990, Follower of Xuanzang (early and influential Chinese Buddhist Monk of the Tang Dynasty)" on the inner lid. This Zen painting with calligraphy dates to 1885 (3 years before Yamaoka's untimely death and well after his enlightenment experience at age 45, based on his seals and during a time when he was the personal bodyguard and advisor to the Meiji emperor. He played the central role in the bloodless surrender of Edo castle--one of the most important events in the Meiji Restoration of 1868. Fearing the loss of traditional Yamaoka was born Ono Tetsutaro. A samurai and master swordsman who founded the Ittō Shōden Mutō-ryū (一刀正伝無刀流) school of swordsmanship ("Sword of No-Sword). He was also a master calligrapher who is said to have completed 1 million works, and a recognized lay Rinzai Zen master who died in the seated meditation position at the age of 52 from gastric cancer. Aside from being a master of Ken-Zen-Sho (Sword-Zen-Calligraphy), he was renown for his love of drinking sake and sleeping. At 62.5 cm x 137 cm (excluding mount), this work is among the largest of his works.

Steve Waszak gave me some advice early on that was mostly about determining if a tsuba attribution is correct, but it extends to fakes and reproductions: “Assume the worst case scenario and only acquire if you have painstakingly convinced yourself that the tsuba is genuinely what you think it is.” I fell prey to a reproduction recently and am implementing a systematic approach to avoid “magical thinking.”

Cast tsuba? https://www.jauce.com/auction/1188262208

Early in my collecting I brought a fake to the attention of Galerie Zacke in order to have my bid retracted. They were a bit indignant, but allowed me to withdraw my bid. They did not pull the item.

My other prized Yamaoka Tesshu painting is shown below and has a place of honor on the high wall where I hang my small collection of museum quality and published Zen calligraphy and painting. I see it every day walking down the hallway. Poem translation: "Point directly at the human heart, see into nature, and become a Buddha. Brushed by Yamaoka Tetsutaro, Senior Fourth Court Rank." The depiction of Daruma, the patriarch of Japanese Zen Buddhism, is also a rare subject matter for Yamaoka. At 62.5 cm x 137 cm (excluding mount), it is also among the largest of his works.

I have exhausted all of my books and on-line resources trying to obtain a translation of the following kakejiku of a work by Yamaoka Tesshu that has been in my collection for some time, but just recently taken out of storage for permanent display. The original documentation from the Zen gallery owner (Belinda Sweet, retired) was lost during a move from Boston to Florida, although it may turn up eventually. Although Yamaoka brushed as many as 1 million works, the vast majority are calligraphy alone. There are a few common subjects for accompanying paintings (Daruma, various other Buddhist themes, ships, Mt. Fuji), this one is a combination of a vine-like plant and what I believe is a waterfall because of a similar rare published work also shown below along with translation that has the phrase "...gentle waterfall of sake.". The last few characters on the left column and that read "sezu" may be identical to mine, but is not followed by "Sake" as the first character of the next column. It reads like "Abundance" in kanji. Like a few of his works, the order of the characters and columns in this published work is read from left to right even though he signs in the left lower corner. Yamaoka Tesshu (山岡 鉄舟) was born in Edo June 10, 1836 and died July 19, 1888. This Zen painting was brushed in the last year of his life (well after his enlightenment experience at age 45) based on his seals and during a time when he was the personal bodyguard and advisor to the Meiji emperor. Yamaoka was born Ono Tetsutaro. A samurai and master swordsman who founded the Ittō Shōden Mutō-ryū (一刀正伝無刀流) school of swordsmanship, he was also a master calligrapher who is said to have completed 1 million works, and a recognized Zen master who died in the seated meditation position at the age of 52 from gastric cancer. Aside from being a master of Ken-Zen-Sho (Sword-Zen-Calligraphy), he was renown for his love of drinking sake and sleeping.

Thanks, Steve. It’s good to know that the association of Nobuie with Christian iconography and practice during his time is likely not just speculative and is supported by published scholarship. Perhaps the best conclusions we can possibly reach should always frame the question against the historical, sociocultural, political, religious, and known aesthetic landscape that existed at the time. The question of whether Nobuie was himself a Christian may not be easily determined (I was under the impression that there are no reliable supporting historical records to this effect), but I’m convinced that he made Christian tsuba whose meaning was clear to those who openly displayed them.

There appears be an amida-yasuri motif of fine lines radiating from the center. There are eight sets of an outer horizontal bar over an inner circle. The radiating lines actually go nearly to the rim, but are broken up by the bars (these were carved out after lines were made). This may be another stylized depiction of the Buddhist 8-fold path.