Iroha Poem
Overall (panels 2,3,4,5): 63 1/4 × 23 1/2 inches (160.66 × 59.69 cm)
Overall (calligraphy, panels 1 and 6): 51 1/2 × 21 1/4 inches (130.81 × 53.98 cm)
Overall (calligraphy, panels 2,3,4,5): 51 1/2 × 20 inches (130.81 × 50.8 cm)
Here, Nukina Kaioku brushed Chinese characters that correspond to the Japanese alphabet in the "flying white" calligraphy technique, which is rooted in a Chinese calligraphy tradition. As the calligrapher moved the brush rapidly, the brush’s hair split to reveal the white of the paper, capturing motion and energy.
Born to a samurai family, Kaioku moved around within Japan in his youth to study Buddhism, Confucianism, calligraphy, and painting with teachers from China and Japan.
With R. H. Ellsworth, Ltd., New York, by October 15, 1976;
Purchased from R. H. Ellsworth, Ltd. by Karen Dean Bunting (1912-1981), Shawnee Mission, KS, October 15, 1976-1981 [1];
Her bequest to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1981.
NOTES:
[1] R. H. Ellsworth, Ltd. invoice, Nelson-Atkins curatorial files.
