Thematic Exhibition Captivating Kohitsu

Kohitsu literally translates as "old brushwork," and refers generally to calligraphy by people of classical times, but in a narrower sense it refers specifically to poetry anthologies and other literary works written by courtiers of the Heian and Kamakura periods. In the late Muromachi period, these writings were frequently separated into individual pages or even into segments of just a few lines each, which were remounted as hanging scrolls for decorating tearoom alcoves or assembled as albums of calligraphy samples in different hands. Elegant calligraphic works inscribed on decorative papers reflecting sophisticated aristocratic tastes were particularly sought after by many of the feudal lords of the Edo period. The Tokugawa Art Museum collection includes masterful examples of Heian-period kohitsu calligraphies passed down in the Owari Tokugawa family, including the Shigeyukishū poetry collection and Meikakashū-gire and as well as the recently donated Ishiyama-gire and Sekido-edition Kokin wakashū-gire poetry fragments, which form the core of this exhibition.