Calligraphy: Inscription and Haiku
Artist
Kaga no Chiyo
(Japanese, 1703–1775)
DateEdo Period, before 1754
Mediumink on paper
Dimensions14.8 x 34.3 cm (5 13/16 x 13 1/2 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Markingssealed Chiyo
Credit LineEliza S. Paine Fund
Object number2012.86
Label TextThis very rare calligraphic work by Chiyo bears an inscription that mentions her being "parted from her husband" and as being "a young widow." It suggests that Chiyo had been married and that she may have parted from her husband or that he may have died.
"At a temple in Kaga prefecture
lives a priest called Geppo.
He visited my hut
and said, "You (Chiyo-jo) have parted
from your husband. Every night,
you don't have pleasure.
Whom do you invite for fun?"
"When the night has deepened,
I let him come in through the window:
the summer moon."
"A young widow.
even if it is among other trees,
a bush clover is a bush clover."
Chiyo-ni is known for verses which show a genuine oneness with nature, crystalline clarity and delicate sensuality. Her verses honor the sacredness of moments in everyday life, and clearly show that for her the Way of Haiku was a source of awakening.
Her calligraphy has an intimate, personal rhythm that scholar's say is impossible to replicate: it is somewhat compressed and gnarly with interplay of darker and lighter forms.ProvenanceBachmann Eckenstein Art & Antiques, Basel, Switzerland
On View
Not on view
Matsumura, Goshun
Edo Period, about 1781
