Two-Line Calligraphy

Two columns of Chinese characters, boldly brushed in dark ink on satin, convey a sense of all the writer’s vigor, strength of purpose, and dynamic personality. The odd proportions, and intentional distortion of some of the characters reflect the artist’s departure from long-established rules of brush writing. In some instances the order and direction of brushstrokes depart from the norm, shattering the expectation of regularity and symmetry and giving the characters an entirely new appearance. The dynamism of these forms may reflect the character of the calligrapher, a career politician, who served at different times as foreign minister, councilor of state, advisor in the Imperial Household Ministry, and home minister during the Meiji period.

Soejima Taneomi, born into a samurai family, was well educated in Western studies but also had a broad knowledge of Chinese literature and culture. This knowledge is reflected in the two lines of poetry inscribed here, which demonstrate his skill in composing verses in Chinese, and his confidence as a calligrapher. The poem reads:

八朶青蓮馬前堆
一杯滄海李中寒
副島種臣

Ma faced eight blue lotuses
standing erect in front of him.
Emperor Li faced a vast ocean
in the midst of deep cold.
(Translation adapted from Sadako Ohki)