Shimizu Kosho | Calligraphy

"Day after day, and again day after day"

First line of a poem by Ryokan Taigu (1758-1831):
Day after day, and again day after day, I lend my body to play with the children. Wrapped in my sleeves two or three balls, I cannot eat or drink more of this peaceful spring day. 

Ryokan was a quiet and eccentric Soto Zen Buddhist monk who lived much of his life as a hermit. Ryokan is remembered for his poetry and calligraphy. 

The seals on this calligraphy read: 華厳三昧 Kegon Zanmai (=Samadhi), 東大 Todai, 游叟 Drifting Old Man, 公照 Kosho.

Original box with inscription: 日日日日又日日 (outside), 東大游叟公照, seals: 游叟 and 公照.
 
In 1975 Shimizu Kosho was chosen Abbot of Todai-ji Temple in Nara. He remained in this position for only a rather short time, resigning in 1981. For the remaining nearly twenty years of his life, Shimizu Kosho was dedicated to the life of an artist: He became a prolific and eccentric painter, calligrapher and figurative potter. Unlike most artist monks, he did not limit himself to painting in black ink, but enjoyed a full range of colors. His writing and painting styles are what may be described as obsessively impulsive.

Shimizu Kosho (1911-1999)
Ink on paper
130.8 x 32.8 cm (51 1/2 x 13 in.)
Mounting 193 x 46 cm (78 x 18 in.)
Original box (tomobako)