Rain Over the Stream

Thick, undulating brushstrokes crowd together on paper, some trailing off like the tail of a cloud. Written in cursive script, the sharp edges of characters turn into circles and curved lines. Unlike calligraphy in the standard style, the size and spacing of the characters changes spontaneously, creating a visual rhythm on the paper. Although written in four lines of varying lengths, the poem is a quatrain of seven characters each, a typical Chinese poetry format. Yanagawa was a well-known kanshi poet master and associated with figures like Fujita Tōko, whose rubbing is on display in this gallery. 十年孤負水雲期 満面黄沙両鬂絲手 把琴絃心語口世間 能有幾人知 For ten years I have idled my time alone like floating clouds, On my face of yellow sand, both sideburns have turned to cotton. Holding my qin, I converse with my heart: In this world, who can know this feeling? (Trans. adapted from Stephen Addiss)