Sound of waves, early - mid 19th century
Kikuchi Gozanexpand_more
Ink on paperexpand_more
Gift of the Clark Center for Japanese Art & Culture; formerly given to the Center by Audrey Seo and Stephen Addissexpand_more 2013.29.206
Not on Viewexpand_more
Kikuchi Gozan was a famous poet during the late Edo period. He was born into a scholarly Confucian family and eventually established his own poetry school. Between 1804 and 1832, Gozan released ten issues of “Talks on Poetry from Gozan’s Study” (Gozandō shiwa), a publication that sought to introduce the works of hitherto unknown poets to the public.
A single line of calligraphy is a demanding exercise; its sparseness requires that both the composition of individual characters and the overall arrangement of them are interesting and well-balanced. This work, executed in running script, begins with a dark, heavy character for ‘night,’ the weight of which is emphasized and counter-balanced by the lightly written characters that follow. The varying thickness and wetness of brushstrokes reveal where Gozan has re-dipped his brush in the ink, and compliment the rhythm of his poem.
夜船燈火 漁家雨 秋枕涛殸 僧榻風
Light from a lamp at night in a boat— / Rain over the fisherman's home; / Sound of waves from an autumn pillow— / Wind over the Buddhist monk's bed!
(Trans. Stephen Addiss)
Details
- Title
- Sound of waves
- Artist Life
- 1769 - 1849
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2013.29.206
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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