Return

Morita Shiryū revolutionized the conventional perception of Japanese calligraphy into a global avant-garde aesthetic. His artistic breakthrough was in the mid-1950s but it was not until the 1960s when his creativity began to be recognized more widely, and eventually internationally. In Morita’s oeuvre is a total of 16 known versions of the character kan 還, which according to the artist means to “return to the original source.” It is a recurring theme in his choices of Chinese characters to express one’s inner self; a state of mu (nothingness) which is, according to Zen Buddhism belief, inherent to human nature. In this case he is referring to returning to this “original source” of nothingness.