Letter by Kobori Enshu
- Person
-
作者小堀遠州
- Date
-
制作年 AD17
- Title
- コボリエンシュウヒツショジョウ
- Collections
- Century Akao Collection
- Depository
- Institute of Oriental Classics (Shido Bunko) Campus Mita
- Ref. number
- AW-CEN-000959-0000
- License
- CC BY Images license
- Creditline
-
慶應義塾（センチュリー赤尾コレクション）
- URL
- Classification
- Art
- AI Tagging
- Rectangle Wood Handwriting Font Art
Kobori Enshu (1579-1647) had several names; his real name was Masakazu, but he used the pseudonym Soho for artistic endeavors and also called himself “Koho-An.” He originated the Enshu-style tea ceremony and was admired as one of the three greatest tea masters of Japan, the other two being Sen-no-Rikyu and Furuta Oribe. In 1608, Kobori Masakazu was appointed Lord of Ohmi (today’s Shizuoka Prefecture) and was called Enshu thereafter. (“Enshu” is synonymous with Ohmi Province.) A man of multiple talents, highly successful landscape designer among them, Kobori Enshu patterned his calligraphic style after the orthodox Teika Style (originated by Fujiwara-no-Teika; 1162-1241).In this letter, Enshu first says that he has completed evaluating the calligraphic work by Buddhist priest Shuho Myocho (1282-1338), the painting of a falcon by Kano Motonobu (?-1559), and the brush-and-ink painting by Sesshu Toyo (1420-1506), after each artwork had been framed. Enshu says he has added notations on top of the boxes containing them and further writes that he has asked the picture framer to take them all to the addressee. Although a part of this letter is missing, particularly where the addressee’s name should have been written, we can safely assume that it is addressed to Maeda Toshitsune (1593-1658). The two names you can see in the letter, Inuchiyo and Mangiku, refer to Maeta Tsunanori (1643-1724) and his younger brother. Mangiku was born in 1645 but died in infancy at age 5. Since the father of these two brothers, Maeda Mitsutaka (1616-45), died in April 1645, we can assume that this letter was addressed to the brothers’ grandfather, Toshitsune. Enshu died on February 6, 1647, so this letter could have been written in 1645 or 1646 when Mangiku was still alive. These years indicate that this letter was written during Enshu’s very last years, and at the end of the letter, he complains of the illness that was tormenting him. It is interesting to note that he remained an active appreciator of art so close to his death.
諸悪莫作之此表具略爰元にて相國師之一行墨跡 調させ候きれにてつくりへちの古法眼鷹之繪大さ一文字と中もよく雪舟三幅一対とりあひ見事に御座候右表具申付箱ニ書付いたし吉文字屋罷下候之間進上申候其後弥御無事候犬千世様萬菊様御息災ニ被成御座之由めてたく奉存候此比以書状申上候つる定而相届可申候其書状ニ具之義申上候間不能子細候去月中雨ふり候而當月もふりつゝけ于今一日も天気よき事ハ無御座候病人痛申事候恐惶謹言三月七日（花押）
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- Title (EN)
- Letter by Kobori Enshu
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Quantity 1幅
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