Letter by Hon-ami Koetsu
- Person
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作者本阿弥光悦
- Date
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制作年 AD17
- Title
- ホンアミコウエツヒツショジョウ
- Collections
- Century Akao Collection
- Depository
- Institute of Oriental Classics (Shido Bunko) Campus Mita
- Ref. number
- AW-CEN-001931-0000
- 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 Tree Writing Ink
Hon-ami Koetsu (1558-1637) was both a calligrapher and artisan active between the late Momoyama Period and the early Edo Period. He was born into the Hon-ami family, which for generations had engaged in polishing, cleaning and appreciating Japanese swords. When his father, Koji, established his own house, breaking away from the main Hon-ami lineage, Koetsu was, more or less, released from the traditional family profession.As such, Koetsu established an art village in Takaga-Mine, where he devoted himself to ink-and-brush painting, makie (sprinkled pictures) and pottery making, which resulted in numerous works of fine art. In calligraphy, he was hailed as one of the ‘Three Brushes of the Kanei Era’, meaning one of the three most outstanding calligraphers of that timeDuring the Keicho Era (1596-1615), Koetsu created calligraphic works on lavishly decorated ryoshi paper, painted by Tawaraya Sotatsu and, expounding the Jodai (classical) Style, exhibited an outstanding fluent and elegant brush strokes. In the following Genna Era (1615-44), however, one can see the obvious influence of China’s Song Dynasty styles as transmitted by calligraphers like Zhang Jinzhi and Priest Kukai. The resultant style is characterized by extremely varied thick and thin lines, which were later hailed as the Koetsu School and attracted numerous followers, including Suminokura Soan, Kojima Soshin, and Ogata Soken.In sado (tea ceremony; way of tea), Koetsu trained under Master Furuta Oribe and was an outstanding disciple, comparable to Kobori Enshu. Unfortunately, the addressee’s name was cut off when this letter was decorated and framed. (Note: Master calligraphy works were sought-after items to decorate otherwise simplistic tea rooms.) In any case, Hon-ami Koetsu thanks the recipient for the letter he received inviting him to an early-morning tea party. He writes, “I am rather old for such an early morning gathering, and you don’t have to rush, either.”The liberally intermixed thick and thin lines are characteristic of Koetsu. From the letter’s content, one can assume that it was written in his later years.
廿一日之朝之儀頼入申候處右来臨可有由御肝煎本望存候年寄苦身ニ候之間早々御上御無用ニ候恐惶謹言十六光悦（花押）
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- Letter by Hon-ami Koetsu
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Quantity 1幅
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