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
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