Yaichi Aizu’s Calligraphy



The Calligraphy of Yaichi Aizu: Prose, Poetry and Paintings

Yaichi Aizu, who went by the name of Shusoudojin in his poetry, was a researcher of Asian art (especially the art of Nara), an educationalist and an excellent teacher. He, as well as his students, contributed a large amount of research to the field of Asian art history. On top of this, Yaichi Aizu was also a talented poet and writer.

              In elementary school, Shusoudojin’s parents and calligraphy teachers reprimanded him for his terrible handwriting. He eventually discovered that he was left-handed, and after switching hands he quickly perfected his calligraphy.

              In 1902 (Meiji 35), he enrolled in a preparatory course at Tokyo Senmon Gakko (the former name of Waseda University). There, he developed a unique style. Calligraphy at the time tended to use characters that could not be understood by many people. Instead of using a copybook, Shusoudojin used characters from the morning newspaper. These characters were more common, and could be read by most people. This method earned him the enmity of other calligraphers of his time.

              In 1899 (Meiji 32), when he was nineteen years old, he wrote a haiku called “Hototogisu” under the pen name Hassakurou, which he managed to get published. Even in this early stage, he was strongly influenced by the poetic style of ancient Japanese writings such as the Kojiki, Nihonshoki and Manyoushu. In 1901 (Meiji 34), when he was twenty-one, his haiku was published in the Tohoku Nippou and Niigata Nippou newspapers. After graduating from Waseda University’s literature department, he worked as an English teacher in Niigata. In August of 1908 (Meiji 41), he first traveled to Nara Prefecture, and he composed twenty waka poems about the trip and the landscape. In September of 1910 (Meiji 43), he became an English teacher at Waseda Junior High School. He continued to visit Nara. In 1924 (Taisho 13), he wrote his first book of poetry, entitled “Nankyo Shinsho (New Songs of the Southern Capital).” A large number of Shusoudojin’s poems were written in hiragana (the Japanese syllabary) alone, without the use of Chinese characters, linking the writing with the sound of the words and making it easier to read aloud.

              Because of his frequent travels there, the setting of Shusoudojin’s poetry shifted to Nara, and the style emulated that of classical Japanese poetry. His interest in Nara grew to include the art of the area. Shusoudojin often accompanied his poems with drawings of pagodas, Buddhist sculpture, bamboo, Amaranthus flowers, orchid, Japanese pampas grass, and praying mantis. By studying art, he developed a powerful artistic style. His paintings lent added force to the poems they accompanied.

              This collection contains Shusoudojin’s poems, composed and written by his own hand. His unique work does not emulate the style of other artists. Shusoudojin’s worldview is represented with fidelity and originality in these works. Here, Nara art, writing, poetry and painting exist in harmony, giving us an awe-inspiring look into the world of Shusoudojin, Yaichi Aizu.

 

Original Japanese by Kunio Kanazawa

English Translation by Rachel Storch


Copyright (C) Aizu Museum, Waseda University 1998. All Rights Reserved.
First drafted 1998