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

#258 Kana Calligraphy on a Waka by Nagai...

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2026.05.12

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.

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

#224 The cherry blossoms seem to have bl...

gallery-mu.totknow.com

2025.03.25

What kind of verse?

The Same Poem, a Different Season

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

Kana Calligraphy Piece: Journey to Mount Yoshino

#192 it is there that I see the flowers ...

gallery-mu.totknow.com

2024.06.25

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.

I sincerely hope that 2026 will be a calm and peaceful year for many people.

I believe that calligraphy is a form of expression that carries heartfelt thoughts upon words and gently delivers them to others.

This year as well, I will continue to approach calligraphy with care and dedication, hoping to share its quiet beauty with many and to light a small, peaceful glow in the hearts of those who encounter it.

Thank you very much for your continued support.

About the Phrase

“Aratama no” is a classical poetic phrase expressing the freshness and renewal of the new year.

About this Waka (Poem)

This is a waka poem by Zen Master Dōgen (1200–1253), a major figure in Japanese Buddhism who lived during the Kamakura period (1192–1333). The poem is often titled “Honrai-no-Menmoku” , meaning “the true face of things, just as they are,” and it celebrates the quiet beauty of the four seasons.

About the Artwork

For this piece, the waka has been written on a chidori uchiwa, a traditional Japanese fan shaped like the gentle outline of a chidori (plover) bird.

The soft curves and open space of the fan form resonate with the poem’s spirit — calm, unrestricted, and embracing the flow of the seasons. Even though fans are often associated with summer, this poem spans all four seasons, allowing the piece to be displayed year-round as interior art.

2026 Interior Calligraphy Exhibition

We are honored to announce that this work received the Ruby Award at the Interior Calligraphy Exhibition, organized by Sumi no Salon. This exhibition focuses on works created specifically as interior art.

Calligraphy, especially kana calligraphy, is not just writing on paper — the mounting, framing, and presentation are integral to the work itself. For this exhibition, the pieces are presented with three-dimensional framing that gives each piece a strong three-dimensional presence.

We hope you will visit the exhibition and enjoy these works in person.

About this Waka (Poem)

About the Artwork

This waka was first presented on a standard-sized sheet of paper.

Lonely Mountain Pass — A Poetic Calligraphy

#242 As the autumn wind returns to brush...

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2025.11.24

In this new version, however, the same poem has been brushed onto a tall, slender sheet—one of entirely different scale.

It is remarkable how profoundly the presence of a waka can shift simply through a change in the size and proportions of the paper.

On the smaller format, the poem felt close at hand.
The traveler’s intimate emotions, the gesture of brushing his sleeve, and the autumn wind returning toward him all seemed within reach—forming a compact, concentrated world.

By contrast, the long vertical format naturally draws the eye downward, extending both time and distance.
The autumn wind is no longer a fleeting moment, but something that travels at length along the mountain path.
The evening sun ceases to be a single point of light and instead unfolds as a radiance that envelops the entire mountain bridge.

Though the waka itself remains unchanged, its resonance shifts when the vessel that holds it is transformed.
The expansive vertical space of this tall format deepens the poem’s atmosphere, heightening its quiet and austere solitude.

About this Waka (Poem)

Idle Thoughts

In 1924, Japan still carried the echoes of Taishō democracy while facing the aftermath of the Great Kantō Earthquake just a year before. People were searching for recovery and new ways of life.

The gentle light of a winter day can be read as a symbol of hope for a society burdened with post-disaster anxiety. At the same time, the dry valley suggests both the severity and the quiet stillness of nature.

Seen against the backdrop of 1924, this poem is more than a simple nature verse. It reflects a “journey of the heart,” shaped by the tension between uncertainty and hope in its time.