Fujiwara no Yukinari
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
calligrapher (shodoka) during the Heian
period. He was memorialized for his prowess in his chosen art by being remembered as one of the outstanding Three Brush Traces (Sanseki
三跡), along with Ono no Michikaze
and Fujiwara no Sukemasa
.
(wayoshodo 和様書道), and showed great respect to its founder, Ono no Michikaze
(894-966). He even mentioned in his diary,Gonki, that he had a dream wherein he met Michikaze and learnt calligraphy from him.
Yukinari was known as the master of kana
. His style was mild and easily emulated, his lines were dainty and exquisite , resulting in highly elegant characters. Fujiwara Yukinari is regarded as the founder of the Sesonji lineage of calligraphy, which later became the leading tradition of wayo (和様) calligraphy. His extant works were most written in Mana
(Chinese
characters used as units of meaning) in Gyosho or Sosho.
(reigned from 1288 to 1298) , and the colophon over the seams on the back of the paper attests to this fact. Currently, the scroll is stored in the Tokyo National Museum
.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
calligrapher (shodoka) during the Heian
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
period. He was memorialized for his prowess in his chosen art by being remembered as one of the outstanding Three Brush Traces (Sanseki
Sanseki
The term Sanseki or "three [brush] traces" is used in Japanese to refer to a group of three famous Heian period calligraphers:*Ono no Michikaze, known as Yaseki from the character 野 in his name....
三跡), along with Ono no Michikaze
Ono no Michikaze
was a prominent Shodōka who lived in the Heian period . One of the so-called Sanseki 三跡 , along with Fujiwara no Sukemasa and Fujiwara no Yukinari...
and Fujiwara no Sukemasa
Fujiwara no Sukemasa
was a son of Fujiwara no Atsutoshi, and a renowned Japanese calligrapher of the Heian period. He is honored as one of the Sanseki, a group of outstanding calligraphers.-References:...
.
Life
Yukinari was the son of a courtier by the name of Fujiwara no Yoshitaka. After the early death of his father, he was raised by his grandfather, Prince Kanenori. Yukinari had a fairly successful career as a court official, serving as a Major Counselor. Yukinari further improved the Japanese style calligraphyCalligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
(wayoshodo 和様書道), and showed great respect to its founder, Ono no Michikaze
Ono no Michikaze
was a prominent Shodōka who lived in the Heian period . One of the so-called Sanseki 三跡 , along with Fujiwara no Sukemasa and Fujiwara no Yukinari...
(894-966). He even mentioned in his diary,Gonki, that he had a dream wherein he met Michikaze and learnt calligraphy from him.
Yukinari was known as the master of kana
Kana
Kana are the syllabic Japanese scripts, as opposed to the logographic Chinese characters known in Japan as kanji and the Roman alphabet known as rōmaji...
. His style was mild and easily emulated, his lines were dainty and exquisite , resulting in highly elegant characters. Fujiwara Yukinari is regarded as the founder of the Sesonji lineage of calligraphy, which later became the leading tradition of wayo (和様) calligraphy. His extant works were most written in Mana
Mana
Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
(Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
characters used as units of meaning) in Gyosho or Sosho.
Works
One of his most well-known works is the handscroll of Bai Juyi's eight poems from volume 65 of his Poetic Anthology. He wrote this masterpiece in 1018 when he was forty-seven years old. The scroll was made by joining together nine pieces of specially prepared paper known as ryoshi, then dyed in light brown, claret, and other shades. This handscroll was treasured by Emperor FushimiEmperor Fushimi
Emperor Fushimi was the 92nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession...
(reigned from 1288 to 1298) , and the colophon over the seams on the back of the paper attests to this fact. Currently, the scroll is stored in the Tokyo National Museum
Tokyo National Museum
Established 1872, the , or TNM, is the oldest and largest museum in Japan. The museum collects, houses, and preserves a comprehensive collection of art works and archaeological objects of Asia, focusing on Japan. The museum holds over 110,000 objects, which includes 87 Japanese National Treasure...
.