Letter by Shokado Shojo
- Person
-
作者松花堂昭乗
- Date
-
制作年 AD17
- Title
- ショウカドウショウジョウヒツショジョウ
- Collections
- Century Akao Collection
- Depository
- Institute of Oriental Classics (Shido Bunko) Campus Mita
- Ref. number
- AW-CEN-001328-0000
- 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 Rectangle Monochrome Art
Shokado Shojo (1584-1639) was a Buddhist priest of the Shingon Sect during the Edo Period. He also called himself Seisei-O. After becoming Takimoto-bo Jitsujo’s disciple, Shojo succeeded his master to become head priest of the Takimoto-bo sub-temple. Later, Shojo conceded his post to one of his disciples and retired to the newly-built Shokado sub-temple. His deep virtues and charismatic personality earned him numerous followers and friendships with Confucian scholars, Zen monks and other intellectuals of the age. Notable among them were Konoe Nobutada (1599-1649), Ishikawa Jozan (1583-1672), Kogetsu Sogan (1574-1643), and Takuan Soho (1573-1645). Shojo studied the Oieryu School (lit. “honorable family school,” also Oie School) of Japanese-style wayo calligraphy under Soncho Hosshinno (an imperial prince who resided at a Buddhist temple), but it was the great Kobo Daishi (Priest Kukai) who Shojo truly admired, favoring the Daishi Style. After mastering this style, Shojo perfected an elegant, free-flowing style of brushwork, which was later renowned as the Shokado School, or Takimoto School, of calligraphy. At its beginning, this letter makes mention of “Your Excellency,” but it is not a reference to the Tokugawa Shogun. Instead, it refers to Shojo’s close friend. noble Konoe Nobuhiro. Addressing Ueda Koheiji, a courtesan serving the Konoe family, Shojo thanks Lord Konoe for the basketful of persimmon that arrived when he was ill in bed. The letter insinuates that he was gravely ill, and it is known that Shojo succumbed to illness on September 18, 1639. As such, this letter, dated September 11, could have been written only seven days before this highly acclaimed priest died, assuming that it was written in the same year. If so, it could be one of Shojo’s very last writings and therefore a priceless treasure.
［端裏書］瀧本坊田小平次様……………………………………猶々恭奉存候おもむき宜預御取成候以上従御所様今朝為御使者太兵衛方被下殊見事之柿一籠拝領仕候誠以恭仕合可申上様も無御座候御前方々可然様ニ御取成奉頼存候拙僧気相之儀大形得験申候へともいかにも気力付不申候于今平臥之躰ニ御座候故終御礼ニも不致伺公迷惑仕侯本復仕次第以参上万般御礼可申上候早々可申上候処ニ琢庵迄脈ニ参遅引迷惑仕候恐惶謹言九月十一日（花押）
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- Title (EN)
- Letter by Shokado Shojo
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Quantity 1幅
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