Exhibition of "The Great Man of Books: The Art of Calligraphy by Yang Shoujing"
On the occasion of the 180th anniversary of Yang Shoujing's birth, on February 26, 2019, the exhibition "The Great Man of Books - Yang Shoujing's Calligraphy Art" opened at the Wuhan Art Museum. Starting with the academic journey of Yang Shoujing's life, it is sorted out and presented through four sections: "Yang Shoujing and Hubei", "Yang Shoujing and Pan Cun", "Yang Shoujing's Influence on the Japanese Book World", and "Yang Shoujing's Circle of Friends". Yang Shoujing has once again become a hot topic in the art world, especially his huge influence on the Japanese book scene.
Yang Shoujing
Yang Shoujing (1839-1915), a native of Yidu, Hubei. Genealogy name Kaike, list name Kai, renamed Shou Jing, the word Pengyun, the number of Yu Wu, Xingwu, Xinwu, the late number of the neighbor Su old man. He is a geographer, edition bibliographer, bibliophile, epigrapher, and calligrapher of modern Chinese history. Yang Shoujingkai, Xing, Li, and Zhen were both good at it, and wrote a number of monographs on books, the most influential of which were "Tracing the Origin of the KaiFa", "Commentaries on hormone Feiqing Pavilion", "Notes on The Commentaries on Hormone Feiqing Pavilions" and "Xueshu Commentaries".
Writings by Yang Shoujing
Yang Shoujing rushed to Japan
Yang Shoujing's calligraphy is not a generation of masters in China, but in Japan, he is known as the "father of the modernization of Japanese calligraphy", and is also known by the Japanese as "the ancestor of modern Japanese calligraphy" and "the great benefactor of Japanese calligraphy".
Yang Shoujing footprints
Yang Shoujing became the father, ancestor and great benefactor of modern Japanese calligraphy, with a large accidental side and an inevitable side. By chance, because he failed to participate in the imperial court meeting in the year of Gengchen, he had to rush to Tokyo, Japan in April 1879 at the invitation of He Zi'e, the Qing Dynasty's envoy to Japan, and served as an attaché in the embassy until april 1882, when he returned to Japan for a total of four years. During the four years, he had extensive contacts with Japanese scribes for his book purchase, book visiting, yishu, and Japanese scribes, the most frequent of whom were the famous Japanese calligraphers Shu Iwatani (字一六, 号古梅), Nishitabu Tosaku (字子旸, 号鸣鹤), Oka Chiryo (字振衣, 号鹿門), and a Matsuda Yuki.
Exhibition site
According to the "Good Friends of the Three" (included in the "Words of Mr. Minghe" as determined by Hinata Naruhiru, "It was around the thirteenth year of Meiji, when a man named Yang Shoujing came to Japan as an adviser to the Chinese minister At that time, He Ruzhang. Regarding Yang Shoujing, we had already heard about him and knew that he was a famous epigrapher, so we consulted with Yi Liu and Xue Ke and decided that if he came, we would immediately go to consult his opinion. At that time, he didn't know Japanese, and we didn't speak Beijing, so we had to talk all with a pen. But at first, none of the three of them thought he was a university student and looked down on him. But as contacts increased, his intellectual foresight was indeed impressive. What is particularly fortunate is that Yang brought the opportunity to enjoy the 10,000 or so many expanded books, which can be called the research materials of the Golden Rule for my generation at that time. As for why Yang brought so many Tuoben days, and because he was recruited by Minister He in Beijing, he did not have time to detour to Jingzhou Township to collect books and expand books, so he directly brought his luggage to Japan, although it was troublesome, he still brought all the objects who lived in Beijing at that time to Ren Yunyun. Fortunately, these are all things that we simply can't see. ”
Yang Shoujing calligraphy
Chen Chuanxi, a well-known art scholar, believes that although "his foresight in learning" has impressed Japanese scholars, if he did not have the opportunity to go to Japan, he would not have become the "father" and "ancestor of the modernization of Japanese calligraphy". With the opportunity to go to Japan, if he lacked foresight in learning, Japanese scholars would not be impressed, and he would not become the "father of the modernization of Japanese calligraphy." What is even more coincidental is that because he was anxious to go to Japan, the 10,000 pieces of Takumoto he carried with him could not be sent back to his hometown, so he had to take it to Japan, but it had a huge impact in Japan.
What Did Yang Shoujing Bring to japanese Calligraphy
Since the Fall of the Tang Dynasty, the Japanese book scene has continued the Wang Xizhi style of writing, which is called orthodox. Almost no one is enthusiastic about epigraphy, and seal calligraphy is almost invisible. Yang Shoujing brought thousands of ancient stele rubbings and spread the idea of "honoring monuments" in Japan. The seal and northern dynasty tablets, which are full of ancient, wild and fresh taste, are indeed a shock to Japanese calligraphers. As a result, the Japanese calligraphy community set off a boom in the study of monuments, thus changing the pattern of the Japanese book world, and since then opening up the majestic style of the Northern Dynasty stele layout.
Moreover, several Japanese calligraphers who asked Yang Shou to teach and followed Yang Shoujing were all authoritative figures in the Field of Japanese Calligraphy, and Osamu Iwatani and Akiru Hinata were all giants of the Japanese calligraphy community, and their calligraphy spread throughout Japan, and their disciples also spread throughout Japan. Most of Hinoshita's disciples were famous and important figures in the later Japanese calligraphy circles, such as Tenrai Hiai, Niwa Seagull, Kondo Yukitake, etc.; Naruto's disciples also compiled and printed "Mr. Naruto's Calligraphy", "Mr. Naruto's Cong's Words", "Mr. Naruto's Study Experience", and so on, which had a great influence. In Minghe's calligraphy and writings, there is obviously the influence of Yang Shoujing. Sengoku Oka is a famous Japanese sinologist who once opened a double matsuoka juku in Osaka, Japan, and taught many disciples. After the Meiji Restoration, he also served as a professor at Tokyo Prefectural Studies and the director of the Tokyo Library, and wrote "Chronicle of honor" and "Sightseeing Chronicle". When Yang Shoujing returned to China in 1882, The father and son of Gang Qianyu accompanied him to Shanghai and then to Suzhou, and through Yang Shoujing's introduction, he met with many famous Chinese artists, and Yang Shoujing helped and influenced him the most. After they returned to China, they still continued to promote Yang Shoujing's artistic ideas. Although Xue Ke died early, his diary recorded his interactions with Yang Shoujing and the content of his written conversations, and they were published in Japan. Japanese people regard it as a great honor to associate with Yang Shoujing or write a conversation. A doctor who was well versed in Chinese culture, Ritsuyuki Mori, compiled the contents of his interactions and conversations with Yang Shoujing into ten volumes, called "Qingke Pen Talks", which is still treasured in the Sido Bunko Library of the Institute attached to Keio University in Japan.
Due to the strong whirlwind of Yang Shoujing in Japan, his influence in Japan has become increasing. Thirty years later, when the Xinhai Revolution broke out, Japan's Terasai Hidetake also specially asked Governor Li Yuanhong to protect Yang Shoujing's family home and collection of books, and the Japanese calligrapher Mizuno Shumei (Yuan Nao) from Fukuoka Prefecture rushed from Japan to China from Japan to learn calligraphy under Yang Shoujing's door, and also wrote a poem for Yang: "Admiring the wind and the jade-like warmth, the chest has no city to talk about." Xia Yi Zhou Ding Jing Ji Ancient, Qin Jie Han Monument traces back to its origins. Introduction to a lifetime of Han Mo Miao, Strange Book Ten Thousand Scrolls Caotang Zun. Attentively conveying to me the heart painting, it is the deep high sea Yue En. And orderly clouds: "In September of Xinhai, I will sail to the Qing Dynasty and learn calligraphy from Mr. Yang Yuwu in Eyuan." Friends call the Wuhan war fierce, very dangerous, try to stop our actions. I don't think so. And when he entered Shanghai, he overheard that Mr. Yang avoided coming here, and gladly promoted him, please accept the profession at the door. Sir, taking the old as a word, has compassion for Yu's eagerness to learn, Xu Zhi. Erlai is close to the hot day by day, obscene and diligent in training, and feels extremely grateful. Slang in thanks. In order to guide Mizuno Shumei's study of books, Yang Shoujing also wrote the "Xueshu Shuyan" for him, and Mizuno copied it by hand and brought it back to Japan, and published the "Shushu ShuYan Interpretation", which was widely circulated in Japan.
Many of Yang Shoujing's writings are more widely circulated in Japan than in China. It should be added that Yang Shoujing not only brought many Chinese tablet rubbings to the Japanese book industry, but also explained the theory and principles of calligraphy to them, and at the same time specifically guided them how to use the pen. He has a lot of content in his written conversations with Iwatani Shu, Hinata Naruharu, Matsuda Yukikaku, and others. For example, he told Iwatani shu that "the pen is more or less secondary, and the pen is the key"; "The center forward is the most good at understanding, and the non-front is also said in the painting." Eight sides out of the front, the beginning is called the center. (Middle) only in the middle, so it can be attacked on eight sides, and if it is not in the middle, it is only one or two sides." He also said to Hinata Naruto, "The one who hides the front, the power that penetrates the back of the paper is also said." If there is a floating sliding pen that cannot stand, it is not a hidden edge. The tibetan front is the most wonderful, the rough one uses the hard pen as the force, not the Tibetan front; the young and naïve people are beautiful with floating and slippery, and they are not Tibetan fronts. The Tibetan front is like a straight man, deep and not exposed, and the hidden is unpredictable, not allowing people to see it all; and just like the hidden dragon and tiger in the deep mountains and the great zeal, it does not make people know at a glance. I have also been wrong by the saying of the Tibetan front, and its words are like earth puppets, and if they do not come out of the front, they will be puppets. For the stele, he pointed out: "Beginners, "Xi Narrow Song", "Jing Jun", "Fan Shi", "Fenglong Mountain" is better, if "Shimen Song" and "Yang Huai Table Ode", are not suitable for beginners. "Lu Jun", "Kong Zhou", "Yi Ying", "Cao Quan" and the like, the Pingzheng of the Han Tablets, the fear of learning flowing into the Tang Li faction... "Kong Zhou" is not bad, but its pen is round, and the study wants to start from Fangzheng. The Cao Quan Stele is also unlearnable. "Cao Quan" and "Kong Zhou" such as zhao and dong of the main book, are not unpleasant to people's eyes, but those who learn are easy to become mature and slippery, so they must start with those who are hard, and it is also the meaning of learning the six dynasties to enter. "Learning the seal, the Han Stele's "Shaomu ShiQue" is the first seal book in existence today, and it is also advisable to study it vigorously. The second is "Stone Drum" and "LangYa" (the two stele are not the first, one is not the seal of the orthodoxy; the other is vaguely eroded too much). Then look at the Rules and Regulations of the Qin Han Dynasty, and then take the stele of the past dynasties. ”
Yang Shoujing's works, especially the Notes on the Commentaries on hormone Feiqingge, the Commentaries on Hormones feiqingge, and the Xueshu Shuyan are the most widely circulated in Japan. It also talks about the use of pens, such as: "... The so-called Tibetan front is not the word of the front in the painting, the cover is like the cone painting sand, such as printing mud, folding strands, and leaking marks in the house. Later generations asked for the theory of hiding the front and could not do it, so they created it as a center forward, and their sayings seemed to be very discerning, and those who studied his fa would not be good in books. Regardless of others, try to see the two kings, there is a stroke that does not flank? However, the flank and then there are openings, yin and yang, back, turning, weight, rise and fall, pause, the ancients can use the author to use this, if the front is in the painting. Is it a letter and a pen, and it will be powerless, and it will be able to penetrate the back of the paper? And can there be the wonders of the Dharma? ”
The influence of these instructions on the specificity of the use of the pen on the Japanese calligraphy community is self-evident. The modern Japanese calligraphy historian Uno Xue Estate said in the History of Chinese Calligraphy: "Yang Shoujing's Xueshu Zhiyan, as well as his other two works, "Notes on the Commentary on hormone feiqingge" and "commentary on hormone feiqingge", as the most easily found guiding classic books for Japanese calligraphy enthusiasts in recent years, have played a role far better than their influence in China. ”
Yang Shoujing also said to Iwatani Yiliu: "The study of scripture, historiography, and lexicon in your state is all in harmony with Middle-earth, but the golden stone is slightly inferior." Iwatani replied, "The study of the Golden Stone will take Mr. As the ancestor of the lamp." Then Yang Shoujing is also the ancestor of Japanese epigraphy.
The contemporary Japanese calligraphy community is still grateful to Yang Shoujing
Because Yang Shoujing created a new situation in modern Japanese calligraphy, the Japanese people have always been grateful to this "ancestor of the lamp", and to this day, the Japanese calligraphy community is still constantly studying him, commemorating him, and praising him.
In July 1985, the Japan Book Theory Research Association held the "Exhibition for the 70th Anniversary of Yang Shoujing's Death" at the Kyoto Seibunkaku Kaikan, exhibiting a total of 180 works and calligraphy works by Yang Shoujing.
In March 1986, a 36-member delegation headed by Yujiro Nakata of Japan held an academic exchange of calligraphy in Wuhan, China, and the two sides held an exhibition of Yang Shoujing and his school of calligraphy works at the Hubei Provincial Museum.
In August 1987, the Yang Shoujing Memorial Hall was opened, and the 12-member "Japanese Calligraphy Exchange Delegation" headed by Kunihiko Sugi Estate of Japan visited the Yang Shoujing Memorial Hall and conducted academic exchanges in Yidu.
In March 1990, the 16-member "Nihon Shodo Education And Training Group" headed by Keiichi Ishibashi of Japan visited the Yang Shoujing Memorial Hall.
In August 1992, ten members of the "Yang Shoujing and His Friends Visiting China Delegation" headed by Kunihiko Sugi Estate visited the Yang Shoujing Memorial Hall again, and jointly held a calligraphy and painting exhibition with Yang Shoujing as the theme with the Yang Shoujing Academic Research Association. The Chinese side also sent a delegation to Japan to hold an exhibition of "Yang Shoujing and His Friendship Calligraphy Works" with the Japanese calligraphy circles.
Whenever Japanese scholars go to Yang Shoujing's tomb, they must either bow, bow three times, or prostrate and bow their heads to express their sincere and sincere admiration and gratitude to Yang Shoujing. Japanese scholars have also continuously published articles expressing their reverence and gratitude for Yang Shoujing.
Japanese calligrapher Masao Tanigawa said: "In the thirteenth year of Meiji, Yang Shoujing came to Japan and brought more than 10,000 tablets and chinese brushes. Japanese scholars such as Hinata Naruto studied the stele school of calligraphy through Yang Shoujing. Yang Shoujing used the Yang Milli Pen, and Japanese writers such as Nishimobu Minghe also began to use it... In this way, more and more Japanese calligraphers use sheep milli. In another article, Masao Tanigawa said: "Because at the end of the nineteenth century, when Yang Shoujing went to Japan as a minister's attaché, he brought a large number of six dynasty inscriptions (including Qin and Han inscriptions) and passed them on to Nishimobu Minghe and others, and Nishimo Akizuru and other scholars. At the same time, Japanese calligraphers also went directly to China to learn the style of the stele school at that time, and formed the 'Six Dynasties Style' in the calligraphy circle, which at that time was regarded as a 'new school' of calligraphy. The disciples of today's school of writing who are related to Dongxichuan Chundong, the late Toyokai Harukai and Nishikawa Ning, who are rooted in this style of writing, and the 'Humble Calligraphy Society' they led. After Nishikawa's death, his current strengths are Aoyama Sugiyu, Jojo Nobuyama, Den Estate Lam Tin and Kobayashi Douan. The 'Six Dynasties Wind' arose because of Yang Shoujing's departure. ”
In 1990, Keiichi Ishibashi, chairman of the Japan Calligraphy Education Association, led a delegation to visit the Yang Shoujing Memorial Hall, saying: "Yang Shoujing taught Japanese calligraphers the method of raising their wrists, and when Japanese calligraphers saw Yang Shoujing raise his wrists to write like a cloud flowing water, using it freely, writing boldly, fluently, coherently, and in one go, so Japanese calligraphers also learned this kind of penmanship. Yang Shoujing preached the use of sheep pen, at that time Japanese scholars used a pen made of deer hair, deer hair is thin and soft, not as elastic as wool, so Japanese scholars learned to Yang Shoujing to use the sheep pen, and also learned to make sheep pen. ”
Kunihiko Sugi estate, president of the Japan Book Theory Research Association, professor at Kyoto University of Education, vice chairman of the Calligraphy and Calligraphy History Society, and editor-in-chief of Shushu magazine, said: "Yang Shoujing, as everyone knows, came to Japan in the thirteenth year of Meiji at the behest of He Ruzhang, the Minister of the Qing Dynasty to Japan, until his return to China in the seventeenth year of Meiji. At that time, the calligraphy of the North Monument brought by Yang Shoujing in the modern calligraphy circle of Japan was irrepressible as a new trend. In this sense, Yang Shoujing is a benefactor of modern Japanese calligraphy. He also said: "The Japanese scholars also look up to his high name and respect him from the heart." ”
The above shows the admiration and gratitude of the Japanese calligraphy community and academic circles for Yang Shoujing, and can also see the great influence of Yang Shoujing on Japanese calligraphy. Yang Shoujing reversed the pattern of walking grass in the Japanese calligraphy community for thousands of years, and ushered in a new era of ancient humble and majestic style with the northern stele as the mainstay. Therefore, the Japanese have repeatedly praised him as "the father of the modernization of Japanese calligraphy", "the ancestor of modern Japanese calligraphy", and "the great benefactor of Japanese calligraphy".