Originally conceived as the front and back of a tsuitate standing screen, the two works, done in aluminum pigment on black lacquer, are now mounted separately. The combination of the character myo (sublime) with the three-character compound setsu-getsu-ka (literally, snow, moon, and flowers) is otherwise unheard of in Morita’s work. If the latter, a reference to a poem by Tang dynasty poet Bai Juyi, may be understood as an appraisal of the passing of the four seasons and the accompanying beauty of nature, then its juxtaposition with the notion of “sublime” seems a befitting association. In Morita’s self-selected catalog of works, the character myo is reproduced with the caption “front,” while setsugetsuka, though not reproduced, is described as “back.” With the current mounting, however, such distinctions have become unnecessary.

Myo is written with a broad brush and plenty of pigment. Looking closely, the traces of the brush’s hairs appear almost like the growth rings of a tree. By contrast, the characters setsu-getsu-ka, contained inside a circle, show the brush’s hairs separating and display a rhythmical vividness skillfully accentuated against the black background. It is almost as if to evoke falling blossoms in the dark passing through a sudden glimpse of light. The contrast and balance between the two parts reflect Morita’s careful planning of the composition.

Morita Shiryu (avant-garde calligrapher; 1912–1998)
Avant-garde calligrapher from Hyogo Prefecture. Like fellow artist Inoue Yuichi, Morita studied under the calligraphy master Ueda Sokyu. He co-founded the avant-garde group Bokujinkai together with Inoue and was the founder and editor of the journal Bokubi (Beauty of Ink), both of which revolutionized traditional Japanese calligraphy and spread knowledge of Japanese avant-garde calligraphy to an international audience. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor with Dark Blue Ribbon.