About this Japanese Poetry

A humble reading of the poem:

The blossoms shine so brilliantly
that drifting spring haze fills the sky,
and even the heavens themselves
seem softly dyed in cherry hues—
ah, these mountain cherry trees.

About This Work

A single waka poem was composed on a comparatively large zenkaishi paper.

Presented here are two interpretations born from the same poem.

The first piece created was the latter work, written with a broader brush.
By embracing the movement of ink and the shifting weight of each line, the work was shaped with a rich emotional presence.

Later, I sought a quieter sense of tension within the space, and rewrote the poem using a finer brush with a sharper tip — the former work.
The lines were refined to preserve a feeling of stillness and clarity.

Though the waka and overall composition remain nearly identical, the impression each work leaves is remarkably different.

Which atmosphere speaks more deeply to you?

Spring Haze Dyed in Blossoms — Calligraphy Inspired by a Classical Waka

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Artwork Details & Framing

• Medium: Sumi ink on paper
• Framing: Each piece will be tailored and securely mounted in a high-quality, minimalist acrylic frame, enhancing the modern presentation of traditional calligraphy.
• Authenticity: Every artwork comes with a Certificate of Authenticity signed by the artist.

Ink holds the seasons long after they have passed.

What is the Sekidobon Kokin Wakashū?

Sekidobon Kokin Wakashū is an old manuscript fragment of the Kokin Wakashū, traditionally attributed to the mid-Heian-period calligrapher Fujiwara no Yukinari.

Main characteristics (commonly accepted views)

• Attributed to: Fujiwara no Yukinari (traditional attribution; authorship remains uncertain)
• Date: believed to have been produced in the late 11th century, somewhat later than Yukinari himself
• Content: partial manuscript of the imperial waka anthology Kokin Wakashū
• Collections: held by institutions including the Tokugawa Art Museum, The Gotoh Museum, and Tokyo National Museum
• Cultural status: designated Important Cultural Property and related classifications

Significance in the history of calligraphy

The Sekidobon Kokin Wakashū is regarded as an important example preserving the kana style associated with Fujiwara no Yukinari, one of the “Sanseki” masters of Japanese calligraphy.
Its varied line thickness, rounded brush movement, and rich tonal changes in ink had a major influence on the later development of kana calligraphy.

About This Work

For this study piece, I copied a two-page spread based on a facsimile edition of the Sekidobon Kokin Wakashū.

Dark green dyed paper was used for the work.

The Sekidobon is considered one of the important reference materials for studying mid-Heian kana calligraphy. In classical copy practice, observation extends beyond character shapes to include connected brushwork, spacing between lines, brush speed, pressure changes, use of negative space, and the composition of the page as a whole.

During this work, I examined these characteristics of the original manuscript while proceeding with the copy. I hope to continue incorporating insights gained from classical materials into future calligraphy works.

Ink holds the seasons long after they have passed.

About this Japanese Poetry

A humble reading of the poem:

The blossoms shine so brilliantly
that drifting spring haze fills the sky,
and even the heavens themselves
seem softly dyed in cherry hues—
ah, these mountain cherry trees.

Idle Thoughts

For four intense months, I immersed myself in creating large-scale works and preparing for multiple master-level calligraphy examinations, completing eight major pieces in total.

Through this process, I continued exploring lines and negative space, searching for the moment when calligraphy quietly transforms a space into stillness.

Ink holds the seasons long after they have passed.

About this Japanese Poetry

A humble reading of the poem:

As the mountain cherry blossoms begin to bloom, the distant hills appear like white threads of a waterfall falling from the sky.

Idle Thoughts

As the peak of cherry blossoms has passed,
the petals drift through the air like a cascading waterfall.

In contrast, the poem evokes wild mountain cherry trees covering the slopes in layered bloom. Seen from afar, their spreading white can resemble a waterfall as well—cherry blossoms have long been likened to flowing water in many forms.

On the paper, I placed small flowers quietly blooming at the foot of the tree, suggesting a view as if looking down from above.

Ink holds the seasons long after they have passed.

About this Japanese Poetry

A humble reading of the poem:

In a mountain village at spring dusk—
as I arrive,
the evening bell resounds,
and blossoms fall.

Description

In the fading light of evening,
the distant toll of a bell—
petals drifting down in silence.

A moment of spring, gently passing,
held within the form of a fan.

Across the paper, a flock of birds
stretching toward the far distance—
the gaze, drawn quietly beyond.

Ink holds the seasons long after they have passed.

About this Japanese Poetry

A humble reading of the poem:

The cherry blossoms seem to have bloomed—
White clouds can be seen rising
From the mountain valleys.

Changing Perceptions

Even when we use the same word—sakura, cherry blossoms—the colors and scenery we imagine can differ depending on the era and the place.

In classical waka poetry, cherry blossoms were often likened to white clouds.

Seen from afar, mountain cherry trees do not appear as individual blossoms. Instead, they form soft, pale clusters that drift across the mountainside like clouds.

For us today, it may feel a little surprising to imagine cherry blossoms as white. Yet in the Heian period, about 1,000 years ago, the word sakura referred mainly to wild mountain cherries, whose petals were almost entirely white.

Recently, I saw the Kawazu cherry trees in Atami. Their blossoms are a vivid pink—quite different from the mountain cherries of earlier times.

Even when writing the same poem, the expression can subtly change depending on the season, the mood, and the landscape before us.

Compared with the previous work in which I wrote this same waka, this new piece naturally took on a slightly different character.

Cherry Blossoms in Bloom — Kana Calligraphy

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About This Artwork

“Calligraphy is formed by line.”
This work steps just beyond that premise.

No outline.

Only uneven dots in varying scales.
Still, a horse becomes visible—
the Japanese character for “horse” (馬).

As countless cells gather
to form a single body.

Waiting for Spring

I first felt the urge to write the words Spring in Full Bloom around the beginning of spring last year.
The image quietly took shape within me, yet the season passed more quickly than expected, and the moment to take up the brush slipped away.

Spring is always like that — long awaited, yet fleeting once it arrives.

A year later, the season returned, and with it, the same words.
From an image gently nurtured over time, this work was finally born.

A Sense of Fullness

The word ranman suggests more than brilliance.
It carries a feeling that light, atmosphere, and even the inner landscape have reached their fullness.

Rather than depicting the liveliness of spring, I sought the deep, soft sense of completion that comes after winter has passed.
That the moisture of the ink might quietly lend its effect — like the very breath of spring.

Spring, Held in the Hand

I imagined this work not only on a wall, but also encountered unexpectedly —
where seasonal words come to rest in the hand.

Perhaps alongside a bottle opened to mark the arrival of spring.
Or accompanying a gift sent to someone dear.

When lettering intertwines with memory — with taste, with fragrance — it can evoke a season even before it is fully experienced.

If these characters can open spring within the hand, not only before the eyes, nothing would please me more.

Spring often passes just as we begin to sense it has reached its fullness —
may this piece remain quietly beside that fleeting moment.

What kind of verse?

The Same Poem, a Different Season

This is the second time I’ve written this waka by Saigyō.

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The first version was written in large characters on a long, narrow sheet of paper. In that piece, I tried to express the feeling of entering deep into the misty hills of Yoshino and finally encountering the cherry blossoms Saigyō had carried in his mind.

This time, I approached the same poem from a very different angle.

I chose a smaller sheet and wrote the characters much more compactly. The paper is printed with a pattern of snow‑laden bamboo leaves, reflecting the coldness of the season.

Instead of presenting cherry blossoms in the midst of spring, this piece invites the viewer to imagine them while spring still feels distant.
That shift in mood gives the poem an entirely new expression.

Whereas Saigyō once seemed to move through an outer landscape, in this version his presence feels like a quiet inward journey. The small characters hold a sense of longing for blossoms not yet seen, resting gently in the depths of the heart.

Even with the same poem, the choice of paper, the size of the characters, and the season in which it is written can completely change the way it is experienced. It’s fascinating how such subtle shifts transform not only the physical form but also the emotional landscape of the work.

This piece features my hand‑drawn watercolor‑pencil illustration of Fukujusō (Adonis flower), paired with the closing lines of a waka poem by Fujiwara Ietaka.

About this Waka (Poem)

Fukujusō — The Beginning of Spring

Fukujusō blooms bravely from the still‑cold ground, reaching toward the light.
Though its flowers are small and modest, the way it pushes through melting snow embodies a quiet yet powerful sense of life and seasonal change.

Even when winter feels long and harsh, plants already sense the shift of the season and quietly move forward.
This work depicts that resilient early‑spring flower on gansen‑shi (calligraphy paper), using watercolor pencils.

Subtle Things Tell a Sure Story

This pairing of poem and illustration gently shifts our attention from waiting for spring to noticing the small, often overlooked signs that it has already begun.
Whether we recognize these subtle cues depends on how we choose to look at the world.

Bring the Season into Your Room

I hope this piece brings a sense of hope and the quiet approach of spring to your space.

μはがき作品｜雪間に兆す春 / Snowmelt Spring – Japanese Calligraphy Art | totKnow - ととのう - powered by BASE

厳寒の中、ひと足早く春を告げる福寿草。その静かな生命の兆しに寄り添うように、藤原...

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