Manuscript on paper, attributed to Kōetsu (see below), of the great classic Hyakunin isshu 百人一首 [One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets]

Written in a fine calligraphic hand (by Kōetsu?) on three different shades of torinoko paper. Underprintings throughout in white mica of many designs (see below). 52 leaves. Small 4to (228 x 174 mm.), orig. gold patterned silk brocade over semi-stiff boards, bright gold endpapers with a diced pattern, retchoso binding. [Japan]: early Edo.


The calligraphy of this very beautiful manuscript has been attributed to Hon’ami Kōetsu (1558-1637), one of the leaders of the renaissance of classical culture in Kyoto at the beginning of the 17th century. We provide a discussion of the attribution below.


Calligrapher, lacquerer, potter, (truncated) landscape gardener, tea ceremony connoisseur, and expert on swords, Kōetsu was “a central, catalytic figure in Japanese art of the early seventeenth century; an innovative craftsman well-versed in most major forms of the visual arts and the theater. He also organized and inspired numerous artists, craftsmen, tea masters, and patrons. Loyal to the semi-divinity of the emperor, he led the revival of the decorative styles of the Heian court and of the highly civilized traditionalist families of Kyoto…


“Kōetsu emerged as a major figure in the art world, particularly as a calligrapher…[In 1615 he was granted] a plot of land at Takagamine, north of Kyoto. There, in an atmosphere of aestheticism and piety, Kōetsu created a remarkable crafts village of fifty-five houses, gathering talented craftsmen like the papermaker Sōji or textile designers of the Ogata family, as well as connoisseurs and wealthy businessmen such a Chaya Shirōjirō. From the work of Kōetsu and his associates emerged a style of painting and decorations that came to be known as Rimpa and continued as a leading current in Japanese art until the end of the nineteenth century. Kōetsu devoted himself primarily to calligraphy and also to ceramics.”–Louise A. Cort in John M. Rosenfield et al., The Courtly Tradition in Japanese Art and Literature. Selections from the Hofer and Hyde Collections (Fogg Art Museum: 1973), p. 302.


As we wrote above, this manuscript has been credited to the hand of Kōetsu. Laid in the box containing the manuscript is a kiwamefuda 極札 dated 1726, prepared by Kohitsu Ryō’en 古筆了延 (1704-74), the seventh-generation member of the Kohitsu family of Kyoto, the most prestigious family of calligraphy appraisers/authenticators for several centuries. During the Edo period, the popularity of collecting calligraphic examples of past masters was at its height, and as a result, there was a high demand for calligraphy appraisers known as kohitsumi 古筆見 or kohitsu mekiki 古筆目利 (“appraiser” of antique writing). These appraisers were not determining values but preparing statements or assessments of the calligraphy of early manuscripts. By the particular style and quality of the writing, these appraisers attributed them to specific calligraphers or schools of calligraphy. Following the appraisal, a certificate of identification was made in several formats, from an inscription on the box, statement written at the end of the manuscript, or, most commonly, a single oblong slip of white or cream paper with its own wrapper known as a kiwamefuda.


Present with our manuscript is a fine example of a kiwamefuda and an inscription on the wooden box housing the codex. The oblong slip states (in trans.): “Hon’ami Kōetsu. One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets. One volume. [Four characters we cannot decipher].” At the bottom is the seal of the Kohitsu family [kinzan 琴山, “zither mountain”]. On the reverse side is a second inscription (in trans.): “With name [of the scribe?]. Yotsuhon 四半本 [the size of the paper format is one-quarter of the size of the original sheet of paper]. One volume. The zodiac year 1726.” Below is the seal of the first name of the appraiser, Kohitsu Ryō’en.


On the lid of the old box containing our manuscript is found the following brush inscription (in trans.): “By Hon’ami Kōetsu’s Brush. One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets. With Kohitsu Ryō’en’s kiwamefuda.” On the final page of the manuscript is another inscription with the zodiac character mi 巳 (“year of the snake”) and further characters we cannot decipher.


Stylistically, our beautiful manuscript shares many qualities associated with Kōetsu and his revolutionary Saga-bon libretti of Nōh plays. The wooden movable types used in the printing of the Saga-bon were based on Kōetsu handwriting. We also know that Kōetsu was very interested in this text and copied it several times (a number of manuscript fragments by him of this text survive). Our manuscript employs three colors of thick torinoko paper: blue-gray, pale pink, and cream. Additionally, the leaves have been printed with various mica images, including leaves, ferns, pine trees, bamboo, plum flowers, the moon over pine groves, herds of deer, pine groves on the shoreside, wisteria flowers, butterflies, bundles of several kinds of flowers, branches of leafy trees, waves in the ocean, woven garden fences, flowers on vines, a crane, and close-ups of pine branches.


We are unable to make a definitive judgment regarding the calligraphic handwriting and will leave that to scholars.


❧ For a complete and excellent discussion of kiwamefuda, see Akiko Walley’s online “Tekagami & Kyōgire: The University of Oregon Japanese Calligraphy Collection.”. (Inventory #: 10748)