Letter by Hayashi Razan
- Person
-
作者林羅山
- Date
-
制作年 AD17
- Title
- ハヤシラザンヒツショウソク
- Collections
- Century Akao Collection
- Depository
- Institute of Oriental Classics (Shido Bunko) Campus Mita
- Ref. number
- AW-CEN-001533-0000
- 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 Black Font Art Monochrome
A Confucian scholar of the early Edo Period, Hayashi Razan (1583-1657) was born in Kyoto. He later received training in Zen Buddhism under the priests of Kenninji Temple, but became a disciple of Confucian Fujiwara Seika (1561-1619) in 1604. The name Razan was a Confucian name given him by his master, Seika. Quite early in his academic career, Razan was drawn to the teachings of Zhu Xi and showed extraordinary talent in the pursuit of this discipline. In 1605, he was received in audience by General Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) at the Nijo Castle in Kyoto. Ieyasu ordered Razan to take the tonsure and start using the Buddhist name of Doshu. In due course, Hayashi Razanwent down to Edo to serve as a lecturer to three generations of Tokugawa shoguns(Ieyasu, Hidetada and Iemitsu). Razan also attended to various matters of state--organizing receptions for Korean emissaries, drafting official documents, laws and regulations, and compiling history books, to name a few key activities. In 1629, Razan was named Hoin (honorable title for a priest or artist) of the Ministry of Popular Affairs and was awarded a mansion in the Ueno area of Edo, where he opened a private school. The great fire that later engulfed wide areas of Edo consumed many books and publications stored in the Edo Castle archive. Greatly depressed by the loss of these priceless historical documents, Razan fell ill and eventually died at age 75.In this letter, Razan exalts over the visit of an old friend. Being that his friend is now preparing to return to Kyoto, Razan offers him a gift of an uchiwa (a round Japanese fan) and three pairs of socks. One can read between the lines the tremendous happiness Razan felt with this reunion. As the letter is signed “Hoin of the Ministry of Popular Affairs,” it was written after 1629 (when Razan was 47), and, from the stable progress of the script, one can assume that it was probably done in Razan’s 50s, when his handwriting was in prime form.
［端裏書］□□老道春御返事民部卿法印……………………………………………尚々御気分弥能候由珍重之至候以上先日者御尋久々にて中段令祝着候炎天之時分其上何角手透無之無音此事候適々之下向ニ候所慮外之至候いつ比可有帰京候哉随而是式ニ候待とも団扇一本蹄皮三足進入申候轍表書中候何も期面上候恐々謹言六月廿七日道春（花押）
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- Letter by Hayashi Razan
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