Kujukuri

This work is inspired by the poem “Kujukuri” by the Edo-period (1603–1868) Chinese-style poet Yanagawa Seigan. The contents of the poem are as follows: “The seacoast forms an arc from Kazusa to Shimosa, where at a thousand homes, fishing nets are drying in the evening breeze. Ninety-nine ri [one ri = approx. 4 km] it stretches, traversed by a lone road, with the sea’s roar filtering through the pines. The May sea breeze is as refreshing as that of autumn. In northern and southern Soshu, the rain continues to fall. In Boshu the flat sands extend for a hundred ri, and cliffs rise sharply as if ascending to the heavens.” Asami Kinryu used diluted bluish black ink and a brush with exceptionally long bristles (at least six times as long as their diameter) to depict the majestic landscape. The use of coarse-grained, aged, brownish second-grade karakami paper enhances the color of the ink, while carefully applied techniques heighten the ink’s bleeding effect, creating the seamless flow and rhythmic gradations of light and dark that characterize this beautiful work. (A.J.)