Thoughts of Drifting

Inscribed on the folding screen are the opening lines of Matsuo Basho’s Oku no Hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North): “Days and months are travelers of eternity. So are the years that pass by.” It concludes with the haiku: Spring is passing by. Birds are weeping, and the eyes of fish fill with tears. Kogure Seifu masterfully interwove subtle ink variations throughout the graceful, flowing characters. The characters appearing to vibrate from side to side seem to evoke the trembling of Basho’s spirit as he surrendered himself to his journey. The artist, originally from Gunma Prefecture, trained under Suzuki Suiken and Oishi Takako, specializing in kana calligraphy. He showed his work in the Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition) and Yomiuri Shohoten exhibition, receiving accolades including a Nitten special selection and the Hochiku Award. Kogure frequently drew inspiration from the Man’yoshu and the poetry of Basho and Ryokan, among others. He lived in Ichikawa City, Chiba. (A.J.)