Engraved Calligraphy: From Clerical Script to Standard Script
-
Tunnel Inscription
China, Eastern Han dynasty, 148 (On exhibit through August 17, 2025)Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 8
July 8, 2025 (Tue) - September 21, 2025 (Sun)Chinese script was first standardized during the reign of the Qin emperor (221–206 BC). Known as seal script, these characters were then replaced by the less complicated clerical script during the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD). From the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) to the Northern and Southern dynasties (420–589), clerical script was further simplified into what is now known as standard script.
This exhibition traces the development from clerical script to standard script by introducing ink rubbings from the 1st century BC to the 9th century AD.
| Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
| Highlight | Tunnel Inscription | China | Eastern Han dynasty, 148 | TB-233 | On exhibit through August 17, 2025 | ||
| Highlight | Inscriptions of the "Zhang Qian" Stele | China | Eastern Han dynasty, 186 | TB-236 | On exhibit through August 17, 2025 | ||
| Highlight | Inscriptions Commemorating the Opening and Conservation of a Tunnel | By Wang Yuan (dates unknown), China | Northern Wei dynasty, 509 | Gift of Mr. Ichikawa Santei, TB-234 | On exhibit from August 19, 2025 | ||
| Highlight | Inscriptions of a Stele from Longhua Temple | China | Sui dynasty, ca. 608 | TB-307 | On exhibit from August 19, 2025 | ||
| Highlight | Inscriptions of the Stele at Mount Hua Shrine | By Zhao Wenyuan (dates unknown), China | Northern Zhou dynasty, 567 | TB-603 | On exhibit through August 17, 2025 | ||
| Highlight | Steles of the Yan Family Mausoleum | By Yan Zhenqing (709–785), China | Tang dynasty, 780 | TB-366-1 | On exhibit from August 19, 2025 |