Mirror of Hands of Ancient Calligraphy (Kohitsu tekagami), 1651
Tō Rian; Artist: Endō Genkanexpand_more
Woodblock printed book; ink and color on paperexpand_more
Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundationexpand_more 2015.79.214
Not on Viewexpand_more
In Japanese society, poetry was important not just for the beauty of its sound, but also for the beauty of its written form. Mirror of Hands is an example of a tekagami (“mirror of hands”); it is a collection of 136 fragments (kire) and 616 strips (tanzaku) written by different hands, all reproduced in print. The colophon, which provides information about the circumstances of publication, notes that the recorded works have been authenticated by an expert, and modern scholars have noted that some extant pieces look remarkably similar to the copy in the book. A woodblock-printed tekagami allowed people who could not afford to buy coveted pieces by the most famous calligraphers a means to appreciate and study their hands.
Details
- Title
- Mirror of Hands of Ancient Calligraphy (Kohitsu tekagami)
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2015.79.214
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Murase, Art through a Lifetime, no. 478
- 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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