The title Katō is derived from the story “A Beautiful Woman Warms Ink With Her Breath” in the anthology Legends and Lore of the Kaiyuan and Tianbao Eras (Kaiyuan Tianbao yishi), a literary work from the height of the Tang dynasty in the eighth-century. It refers to the act of warming a frozen brush and inkstone with one’s breath in the severe winter cold to compose poetry and write calligraphy. By extension, it signifies a deep dedication to calligraphy despite the cold. Regarding this work, Ishikawa Kyuyoh explained,

Ishikawa thus deliberately broke with his own “taboo of not allowing calligraphy to appear like design,” creating a work that stands out for its experimental approach. Katō is included in both the Collected Works of Ishikawa Kyuyoh: Yet… (1987), Selected by the Artist, Annotated by the Artist: Works of Ishikawa Kyuyoh (2006), and Ishikawa Kyuyoh’s Autobiographical Record: Relating My Calligraphy (2019). These repeated inclusions underscore its significance to the artist as an expression of his unwavering dedication to calligraphy, or katō.

Ishikawa Kyuyoh (calligrapher; b.1945)

Born in Fukui Prefecture, Japan in 1945. Graduated from the Faculty of Law at Kyoto University. After serving as a professor at Kyoto Seika University and the director of the Institute for Writing and Civilizations, he is now an emeritus professor at the same university. Ishikawa has elucidated the concept that “calligraphy is the art of hisshoku (taction),” and interprets the structure and history of calligraphy. As a critic, he is also active in discussions on the Japanese language and culture, which have had a significant impact across various fields. In both his artistic creations and written works, Ishikawa continues to produce cutting-edge expressions and insights. His body of work includes over 2,000 calligraphic pieces and more than 100 published books.