Letter by Princely Priest Son-en 尊円入道親王筆書状ソンエンニュウドウシンノウヒツショジョウ

Description

Princely Priest Son-en (1298-1356) was the sixth prince of Emperor Fushimi, who was one of the most achieved calligraphers in Japanese history. Born as Prince Takahiko, he entered Shoren-in Temple at age 11, took the Buddhist tonsure at age 14 and was given the name of So-en. Thereafter, he held the highest position of Tendai Temple four times and was the imperial head of Shoren-in Temple three times. Renowned for deep learning both in Japanese and Chinese literature, Prince So-en was a central figure in the history of Japanese calligraphy. He wrote Jubokusho for Emperor Gokogon as a literary guide for the then very young emperor. The wayo calligraphic style developed by Son-en was hailed as the Shoren-in School (also called Son-en School) and cast a tremendous influence on later development and application of calligraphy. The Oiye-ryu School of the Edo Period was a popularized version of the Shoren-in School.The letter shown here was addressed to Retired Emperor Kogon, then 35 years of age, who was Prince So-en’s nephew. On April 19th, 1347, despite the rain, Retired Emperor Kogon successfully carried out his trip to worship at Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu Shrine, thus reviving a court tradition that had been suspended for several decades. At the shrine, the Emperor dedicated to the deity there the Sutra of the Sovereign Kings of the Golden Light. It is for this deed that Son-en sent the letter offering congratulatory greetings. The strokes executed by the then 50-year-old imperial prince are bold and dynamic.