A scroll inscribed with the characters for “Hell” would have made viewers reflect on their conduct and the transience of worldly phenomena. This work is a striking example of the individualistic calligraphy favored in Rinzai Zen circles and among tea aesthetes. Seigan Sōi, whose explosive brushwork creates the impression of a blade cutting through the paper, was abbot of Daitokuji Temple in Kyoto.
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calligraphy only
with mounting, rollers, and knobs
Artwork Details
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清巌宗渭賛 「地獄」
Title:Hell
Artist:Attributed to Seigan Sōi (Japanese, 1588–1661)
Period:Edo period (1615–1868)
Date:mid-17th century
Culture:Japan
Medium:Hanging scroll; ink on paper
Dimensions:Image: 12 x 35 1/2 in. (30.5 x 90.2 cm)
Classification:Calligraphy
Credit Line:Gift of Sylvan Barnet and William Burto, in honor of Setsu Isao, 2014
Object Number:2014.719.11
Seigan Sōi was the 170th abbot of Daitokuji in Kyoto. Also known as Jishōshi or Korō, he founded Zen temples throughout Japan and was invited by the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604–1651) to assume the abbacy of Tōkaiji in Shinagawa, Edo (Tokyo) in 1649, after the death of the eminent monk Takuan Sōhō (1573–1645).
Seigan was strongly influenced by the brush styles of the Southern Song in China, and he used a stiff brush to achieve a sharp line. The almost explosive thrust of his strokes, the flares that arise where the brush pauses, and the long sweep of his lines are distinctive characteristics of his work. Seigan's vigorous style often gives the impression of a sharp blade cutting through the paper.
Hell was thought to be a place in the netherworld for the wicked dead where they made restitution for the evil deeds they had committed in this world. In Buddhist cosmology hell (J: jigoku ) is one of the Six Paths (J: rokudō) of existence through which all living creatures are reincarnated, moving up or down according to their karma. These include hell, the hungry ghosts, animals, the Asuras who continuously fight the gods, humans, and gods. Hell is thought to be a world adjacent to, but in tension with, the world of humans. The Hell of No Interval (S: Avuci; J: Muken) is named for the constant torment to which its inhabitants are subject, symbolic of the limitlessness of all the hells. In like manner the myriad phenomena of the human realm are limitless, as are the spiritual practices that may liberate humans from suffering.
This calligraphy was probably hung in a room reserved for tea ceremonies and was likely the subject of much conversation. In the hushed silence of the tea preparation, one hears only the soft sounds of the host's movements. The guests in such a highly charged atmosphere try to achieve a state of mental clarity and calm their hearts. For both guests and host the theme of hell would have illuminated worldly affairs of the time or perhaps would have been a catalyst for an individual guest to reflect on his or her conduct.
The practice of brushing phrases that had only a few characters was quite popular in the early Edo period. Other notable examples include the single line of calligraphy owned by the Urasenke school of tea ceremony that reads, "It is right in front of your eyes, [but] if you search for it, it is nowhere [to be found]" (J: Tada mokuzen ni ari, tazunuru ni tokoro nashi), and a piece owned by the Sanritsu Hattori Museum of Art in Nagano prefecture that reads, ''Void is exactly the dharma body'' (J: Koku sokū hōshin).
Tadayuki Kasashima. In Miyeko Murase, The Written Image. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2002, cat. no. 47.
Signature: Seigan sho (written by Seigan), accompanied by two seals: "Seigan" and "Sōi."
Sylvan Barnet and William Burto , Cambridge, MA (until 2014; donated to MMA).
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Seasonal Pleasures in Japanese Art, Part II," May 1–September 8, 1996.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Written Image: Japanese Calligraphy and Paintings from the Sylvan Barnet and William Burto Collection," October 1, 2002–March 2, 2003.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Poetry of Nature: Edo Paintings from the Fishbein-Bender Collection," February 27, 2018–January 21, 2019.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Anxiety and Hope in Japanese Art," April 8, 2023–July 14, 2024.
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