The coarse, dry-brush approach that Ishikawa increasingly employed in the Ryōkan

Poem series is further developed in the present series. This approach is also evident

in Chōkō (Symptom), another work of 1986. Ishikawa remarked:

“The Japanese way of thinking tends to avoid extremes. However, if I work with the dry

(kasure) approach, I have to seek out its extremes. Only then, I believe, I will achieve a

true sense of spaciousness—or rather the void itself—where even the kasure itself ceases to exist. These works are the result of my attempts to push these boundaries.” (Selected by the Artist, Annotated by the Artist)

All seven pieces in this series represent the character toki (time), which is both a simple word and an abstract concept. Yet each piece is notably different from the other, illustrating temporal change—much like particles floating and gathering in gases or fluids, creating fluctuations in density. The circular brushstrokes in the “寸” (sun) component of the character are particularly striking, resembling the whirlpool galaxies of the Milky Way.

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.