Heian Japanese calligraphy examples

[gurdymonkey]

For didjiman .  For our purposes, the Heian period ends in 1185. Assume T'ang Dynasty influences.

http://web-japan.org/museum/calligra/calligra01/calligra01.html includes a number of examples, including a few from later periods. The first piece, a Nara period list of national treasures, you can probably read, as it's in kanji.  Official documents like this one and sutras tend to be in kanji, from what I understand.
#5 from the Kokin Wakashu (or another page from the same poetry collection) does appear in Uncovering Heian Japan. The paper is decorated with gold and silver "glitter".

Here's another very cursive one from the Kyoto National Museum.    It's the Wakan Roeishu, an anthology of Chinese and Japanese poems and it has ponies. We like ponies.


Did the Chinese write directly over paintings or decorated paper like this or is this a Japanese development? There's a collection of fan papers with sutras copied over the paintings in the Tokyo National Museum, for example.

http://books.google.com/books?id=8hIdhJnWP08C&pg=PA93&lpg=PA93&dq=heian+calligraphy&source=bl&ots=XP6E2HSzdr&sig=wU3UOY5Syuia92J4L8MOO4lhw0I&hl=en&ei=qihBTNiqLYq-sQOOwv2zDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false is the Google Books Preview. The front cover , page 222 and 224 can be viewed and show three of the examples discussed.

Comments

[didjiman.livejournal.com]

I am not aware of ANY example of Chinese painting with the calligraphy on top of the elements. I think it may be considered sacrilege :-)

I am thinking about doing the Heart Sutra again, and may be the diamond sutra, but that one is long ass...

Thanks for the links.

[gurdymonkey.livejournal.com]

I didn't think I'd seen Chinese examples, but I admit I haven't focused on that as much. One of the things Lamarre talks about is the idea that easy readability is a modern concept. One is supposed to be erudite and sophisticated enough to appreciate the layers of artistry combined in the decoration of the paper itself, the calligraphy and the textual content.