Vibrant brushstrokes gleam against a glossy black background of this work. At  rst glance, the characters appear to be executed with gold paint. These are in fact first done with aluminum flake pigments, and coated with lacquer on top. Texture resulted from grains of the metallic paint captured the vigorous movements of the artist’s brush on paper, freezing the  ow of time at its creation.

Morita Shiryu, a predominate figure in the  eld of postwar Japanese avant-garde calligraphy, did not set his mind on this career until around the age of twenty. In 1952, along with Inoue Yuichi and three like-minded others, Shiryu co-founded the experimental calligraphers’ group Bokujin-kai (Ink human society) in Kyoto, striving to establish a form of calligraphy that is set free from the convention and the tradition. Earlier, Shiryu initiated the influential calligraphy journal Bokubi (The beauty of ink), and continued serving as its leader. Using Bokubi as a medium, Shiryu actively organized gatherings, events, exhibitions, and discussions, spreading the avant-garde thinking among intellectuals and artists from di erent  elds. Through such activities, Shiryu was in frequent communications with artists such as Yoshihara Jiro from the Gutai Art Association and Suda Kokuta from Genbi (Gendai bijutsu kondankai, Contemporary Art Panel ). Among these forward-thinking and influential figures, it was Hisamatsu Shinichi, the eminent Zen philosopher of Kyoto School, that gave a profound impact on Shiryu. Hisamatsu’s statement of sho (calligraphy) being both “a reflection of the creator himself” and “a representation of our state of being” led to Shiryu’s conclusion of sho being “the site of writing characters, which manifests the dynamic movements of our inner being.”

The subject of this work, the three characters Ryu wa ryu wo shiru (dragon knows dragon), carries signi cant meanings to the artist as his art name “Shiryu”, meaning “child dragon,” reveals. In his writings on the subject of dragon, Shiryu recollected the fable of the invisible scar of an injured snake becoming conspicuous when it grows to an ascending dragon and the phrase “Ryu wa ryu wo shiru” meaning “to recognize greatness is greatness,” both told to him by his admired teacher.

In celebration of Shiryu’s first overseas solo exhibition in New York in 1963, Hisamatsu wrote of the movements of a dragon, sometimes crouching and other times ascending, comparing it to the true essence of calligraphy, which Shiryu had achieved through his innovative works in Hisamatsu’s opinion. Just as Hisamatsu observed, the dynamic movements of the dragon inside Shiryu have taken the form of a revolutionary calligraphy that is receiving noticeable attention. Shiryu, the child dragon, has realized his childhood ambition of becoming a great ascending dragon.

Morita Shiryu (calligrapher; 1912−1998)
Born in Hyogo prefecture. Studied calligraphy under Ueda Sokyu, and aspired to become an avant-garde calligrapher. Co-founded Bokujin-kai, and initiated and edited the Bokubi (The Beauty of Ink) journal, both of which had revolutionized the conventional thinking of the traditional Japanese calligraphy, and spread Japanese avant-garde calligraphy to the international audience. Designated as a Person of Cultural Merit in Kyoto City, and posthumously awarded a Medal with Dark Blue Ribbon.