Heian Court Calligraphy: The Iijima Shunkei Collection
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Letter (detail), By Fujiwara no Kozei, Heian period, dated 1020 (Important Cultural Property)
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room T1
October 1, 2019 (Tue) - November 17, 2019 (Sun)During the Heian period (794–1192), a Japanese phonetic script based on Chinese characters known as kana became widespread among the ruling class. Kana became a vehicle for the flourishing literary culture of the imperial court, where nobles developed distinct Japanese calligraphy styles on lavishly-decorated paper.
In this thematic exhibition, we introduce works from the collection of Iijima Shunkei (1906–96), a collector and pioneering scholar of Heian court calligraphy.