Otagaki Rengetsu Waka (The Wind in the Pines), Calligraphy and Painting on a Fan

[Iaido dude]

Ōtagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875). This version is usually illustrated with a broom, rather than pine. However, both are equally apt and emphasize different elements of her waka. In 1865, she settled in a hut at Jinko-in where she lived out the rest of her life. Perhaps the subject of "the wind in the pines" is more suitable for painting on a fan, the only one I have in my collection.

 

世のちり(塵)を

余所にはらひて

行すゑの

千代をしめたる

やどの松風

 

yo no chiri o

yoso ni haraite

yukusue no

chiyo o shimetaru

yado no matsu kaze

 

the world's dust

swept aside

no concern about the future

in my hermitage I have all I need--

the wind in the pines

 

 

The Lotus Moon: Art and Poetry of the Buddhist Nun Otagaki Rengetsu," John Stevens, pg. 88

[Iaido dude]

I am waiting to find a nice tea bowl or tea caddy with one of her lovely poems inscribed. She was still doing this with a steady strong hand into her 80's. Really remarkable soul.

[When Necessary]

You have a remarkable collection! ❤️

[Lewis B]

Such a moving life story, a life filled with pain and sorrow......yet she was still able to see beauty and create beautiful things. A truly inspirational character....

 

大田垣蓮月 Otagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875)

A female poet from the end of the Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji period. Born in Kyoto. She was adopted by 大田垣光古 Otagaki Teruhisa, samurai who served at Chion-in Temple, when she was only 10 days old. She later married 望古 Mochihisa, the adopted son of Teruhisa. She and Mochihisa had three children, all of whom died at an early age. She also lost her husband, Mochihisa soon. At the age of 33, she lost her second husband, 古肥 Hisatoshi. She and Hisatoshi had one daughter, but the daughter and Mochiko died in 1823. She shaved her head and took the name "Rengetsuni / Nun Rengetsu". After that, Rengetsu moved from place to place and was known as "Moving house Rengetsu" because of her love of moving. After her children died, she lost her father at the age of 42 and lived a life of poverty and solitude. After her father's death, she made her own pottery with waka poems carved with nails, which was called "Rengetsu-yaki". Rengetsu-yaki was so popular as a souvenir of Kyoto, but the sales were given to the poor. He loved 富岡鉄斎 Tomioka Tessai (1837-1924) as if he were his own child. He died at the age of 85, 1875 at 神光院 Jinkoin. She excelled in waka poetry, and was also skilled in calligraphy, painting, naginata, and Go. In waka poetry, she wrote many feminine and delicate epic poems, and was good at writing plain epic poems. Rengetsu was also known for his good looks. It is said that some men approached her because of her beauty which never waned even as she grew older. There is an anecdote that she deliberately pulled out her teeth to ruin her beauty and protected herself from temptation.

 

 

And one of her students

[Bugyotsuji]

On 9/7/2025 at 11:35 PM, Bugyotsuji said:

Jan Pettersson is especially fond of her, and collects objects made by her.

Hope he sees this thread!

[Iaido dude]

12 hours ago, When Necessary said:

You have a remarkable collection! ❤️

 

Calligraphy (zenga in particular) with or without paintings, haiga (haiku/waka with paintings), and stand alone paintings of the 19th and 20th centuries by Zen Masters are relatively plentiful and undervalued on the market. Earlier than this the masterpieces of Hakuin, Sengai, Fugai, and others are rare and expensive. I acquired a relatively small, but highly curated collection of these when I was much younger and still single. I have been collecting for over 25 years according to taste and what enhances my zen practice. Since discovering the prolific artists Yamaoka, Nantembo, and Otagaki and their contemporaries and direct disciples, my interest in 19th/20th centuries has grown exponentially. Study of this 2-dimensional art form vastly precedes my study and collecting of 3-dimensional Japanese crafts such as tsuba and nihonto, which only really started in February 2024.

[Viper6924]

I guess by chance, can’t really explain it any other way, the old lady from Kyoto came into my life some years ago. I saw a set of sencha cups that were covered in calligraphy. But what really got me hooked, was the overall humble apperance of her pottery and the fact that you could see and feel her fingerprints in the clay. So I first discovered her pottery. After that I found some tanzaku (poetry slips) with her calligraphy. I had never encountered calligraphy that light and full of life, and that’s to say a lot as one of my friends is a calligraphy sensei from Japan.

By then I’ve also entered into the world of her poetry. And trust me here, poetry was not something I was very much interested in before Rengetsu entered my life.

These days I enjoy the width of topics dealt with in her poems.
During my journey I’ve been very fortunate to become friends with some of the foremost experts of Rengetsu in Japan and in Europe. They have thought me so much about her life and art(s). Here is also a good place to offer a stern warning. There are so many fakes, or tributes if you want to use a nicer wording, attributed to Rengetsu. We usually say that out of ten objects, nine are no good. 
There are also genuine artwork by Rengetsu that can be very tricky to sort out from the rest. She was after all human and as such she had good days as well as bad.

I’ve been able to get hold of some nice pieces over the years. I treat them with the respect they deserve and I also use them on a regular basis. Because if I know one thing about the old lady, it is that she would not appreciate seing her work collecting dust on a shelf. These were everyday objects meant to be used. Yes, they are expensive, but treat them with respect and be careful and they will offer you countless happiness for years to come.

Have included a summer chawan which I love to use during the warmer months.

 

Jan

[Iaido dude]

What a gorgeous tea bowl to cap off your wonderful and heartfelt sentiments. I have found myself naturally drawn to women poets of Japan. There is something very delicate, keen, and enormously life affirming in their observations of everyday life. And I agree with you that with highly prolific artists, their work can be uneven. It’s important to look at hundreds, if not, thousands of their works to get a sense of what a quality piece is actually comprised of. The poetry is central, but for me the accompanying paintings add an enormous new dimension to their artistry. I missed out on one of Rengetsu’s paintings with inscription related to tea ceremony. She had such a down to earth and egalitarian sensibility. 

[Viper6924]

I have a friend who’s wife forbids him to buy her brushed poetry without an illustration. As she can’t read Rengetsu’s poetry (who can 🙂) she feels an illustration brings home the message. I have both kind as I feel Rengetsu’s calligraphy is art in itself. Personally I think some of her best brushed work was made in her late 70s.

Talking about using her work, here’s a large sencha cup I pretty much use every day.

It got all the traits I’m looking for. You can easily spot her fingerprints and even nail marks in the bottom.

 

Jan

 

 

 

[Iaido dude]

She has an idiosyncratic calligraphy style that can be spotted a mile away. I've said before that the first time I saw it, I was convinced she was likely a superb martial artist. John Stevens has a book about artworks by Budo masters. There is an interesting display in their work that follows martial principles of attack and defense with great precision in the spacing of characters and lines. Many of Yamaoka Tesshu's calligraphy works have the semblance of an impenetrable fortress; there is no way to enter from the periphery without getting entangled in the process. I have pieces by her that are collaborations with painters, although not signed by her mentee Tomioka Tessai. And I agree that rather than exhibiting a diminishment in her artistic faculties, her latter pieces are often quite sublime.

[Lewis B]

I get the feeling that Rengetsu's calligraphic style in clay is quite rustic, incised with a broad tool. I see a lot of pots, cups and the like that have similar designs but are far more refined. I assume the latter are outright fakes if described as by the artist, or homages.

[Iaido dude]

I am not an expert on her ceramics, but I have seen a lot of them in my studies. She made simple ceramics by hand with equally simple glaze to sell cheaply at the market to her admirers who came from far and wide--and to be used, not collected. As you say, they are literally dripping with wabi and sabi. It seems that her method of incising calligraphy was by using some kind of stylus, which was somehow also done for her calligraphy to achieve a very fine and uniform line without ink splotches at the beginning of each stroke (remarkable control!). It takes a very steady and strong hand to achieve this kind of result. If the ceramic appears refined, it is not her creation. If there is a signature on the bottom, it is also not her work.

[Iaido dude]

This is one that got away. Really wonderful waka with painting. I should have put in a higher bid.

 

[Lewis B]

The bowls you and Jan pictured seem like good working examples for comparison. It's clear the same hand produced both. 

[Iaido dude]

My "kyudo" corner with Otagaki Rengetsu and Kaga no Chiyo works. My wife is very good at keeping all of my "hobbies" tidy.

[Viper6924]

This is from yesterday when I brewed some gyokuro for myself and my girlfriend.

In this case I use smaller cups meant for top-quality sencha or gyokuro.

Notice on the right cup the bamboo motif inprinted into the clay. This is the smallest sencha cup I’ve encountered so far made by Rengetsu. If you look carefully you can also see she dated it to her 82nd year. 
 

Jan

[Iaido dude]

Lovely. Gyokuro and the concept of umami taste are two experiences that I have not yet had the pleasure of exploring.