Letter by Konoe Nobuhiro
- Person
-
作者近衛信尋
- Date
-
制作年 AD17
- Title
- コノエノブヒロヒツショジョウ
- Collections
- Century Akao Collection
- Depository
- Institute of Oriental Classics (Shido Bunko) Campus Mita
- Ref. number
- AW-CEN-000263-0000
- 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
- Handwriting Font Monochrome Rectangle Writing
Early Edo aristocrat Konoe Nobuhiro (1599-1649) was the fourth son of Emperor Goyozei (1571-1617). At age 7, he was adopted by his uncle Nobutada (1565-1614), who was heirless. Nobuhiro’s promotion in the government hierarchy was spectacular. He was only 25 when appointed Regent and Head of Clan. While he was trained in the aristocratic ways of tea by Furuta Oribe (1543-1615), Nobuhiro had a humorous character and a carefree lifestyle. For example, even after he assumed Regency, he frequented the noted Shimabara night entertainment quarters and courted the then famous high-class geisha Yoshino Dayu. (Note: “geisha” is a woman working in sake houses, restaurants, etc., with deep training in singing and dancing and hospitality.) In this way, Nobuhiro was quite a man of the world. Since childhood, he practiced calligraphy under his adoptive father, Nobutada, and later attained such thorough mastery that one can hardly tell apart the works done by these two men. The powerful and dynamic flow of brush strokes, however, is Nobuhiro’s own. He was more than a faithful successor, reaching the highest level of attainment.In this reply to an unidentified recipient (perhaps a close associate), Nobuhiro gives the time that he will leave for Maruyama (today’s Maruyama in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto). The two characters seen at the end are pronounced “kairi,” which literally means “returning carp.” This term derives from an anecdote in the Chinese classic Monzen (lit. “Selections of Literature”). In the story, a husband away in the military sends a letter to his wife hidden in the belly of a carp. Another explanation of the origin of this term is that in ancient China, letters written on white silk clothes were tied into carp shapes. So “rigyo” (lit. “carp fish”) came to mean a letter, and “kairi”, a “reply.”
自是可申を例之御返事に成候返々何事も明日可明日丸山への事辰下剋申談候斗と存候四国への事も申楽の事も明日終日可申談候かしく廿四日花おそき庭の梢ハ猶さへて春さへ友をまつのしら雪 回鯉尋
Overview
Rights
Depository and ID
Components
OPEN DATADESIGN
Keio Object Hub makes data on cultural objects open and tries designing various experiences using open data.
Details
Identifiers
- Title (EN)
- Letter by Konoe Nobuhiro
Physical description
- Weights and quantities
-
Quantity 1幅
- Attachments
- 古筆了任?の書付 釈文有 、紙おおい有
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