Shokado Shojo

Japanese: 松花堂昭乗 - しょうかどう・しょうじょう

Year of death: September 18, 1639 (October 14, 1639)
Year of birth: Tensho 12 (1584)
A scholarly monk, calligrapher and painter in the Momoyama and early Edo periods. Born in Sakai, Settsu Province (Osaka Prefecture) as the younger brother of Nakanuma Sakyo-no-jo Mototomo. His real name was Nakanuma Shikibu, and his pen names were Seisei-o, Kujiki, and in later years he took the name Shokado. At the age of 17 he went to Otokoyama Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine and became a monk, serving Takimotobo Jitsujo, mastering Esoteric Shingon Buddhism and attaining the rank of Ajari Hoin. After Jitsujo's death, in 1627 (Kan'ei 4) at the age of 44, he became the chief priest of Takimotobo. He learned calligraphy from Prince Soncho in the Shoren-in style, and also admired Kukai's calligraphy and mastered the Daishi style, establishing his own style. His kanji is a revival of Kukai's Tang style, and his kana is a Japanese style from the Heian period, and is called the Shokado style or Takimoto style. The Shokado style later became popular, and many of Shojo's calligraphy works were published. He is known as one of the three great calligraphers of the Kan'ei period, along with Hon'ami Koetsu and Konoe Nobutada. He is said to have studied painting under Kano Sanraku, and further blended with the Tosa school, often producing colored ukiyo-e paintings, but in his later years he produced many simple ink paintings, and left behind uta-e folding screens and Taoist and Buddhist paintings. Examples of his work include "Grapes and Chickens" (Hasegawa family collection, Matsusaka). He was also famous as a tea master, and studied the Enshu school under Kobori Enshu. The tea utensils he collected were called "Hachiman specialties" and were imitated in later generations as "Shokado favorites." Shojo's reputation was high, and he was favored by the Konoe family and had frequent contact with nobles, and also had connections with Karasuma Mitsuhiro, Hayashi Razan, Ishikawa Jozan, and others. One of them, Sagawada Masatoshi, wrote "Shokado Shojo Shonin Gyojyo-ki" (1639). He died at the age of 56 and was buried at Enpuku-ji Betsu-ji in Yamashiro. <References> Haruna Yoshishige, "The Three Calligraphers of the Kan'ei Era," Doi Tsuguyoshi, "Shokado as a Painter" (Tanko, No. 48), Yamato Bunkakan, "Shokado Shojo Exhibition Catalogue"

(Motoaki Kono)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：寛永16.9.18(1639.10.14)
生年：天正12(1584)
桃山・江戸初期の学僧,書画家。中沼左京亮元知の弟として摂津国堺(大阪府)に生まれる。俗名は中沼式部,号は惺々翁,空識,晩年に松花堂と号した。17歳で男山石清水八幡宮に上り出家,滝本坊実乗に仕え,真言密教をおさめて阿闍梨法印の位についた。実乗没後,寛永4(1627)年44歳のとき,滝本坊住職となった。書は尊朝法親王に青蓮院流を学び,また空海の書を慕って大師流を修得して,自らの書風を確立した。漢字は空海の唐風,かなは平安時代の和風を復興したもので松花堂流または滝本流という。松花堂流はのちに流行し,昭乗の書跡は多数刊行された。本阿弥光悦,近衛信尹と共に寛永の三筆といわれている。画は狩野山楽に学んだといわれ,さらに土佐派を折衷して,彩色の密画もよくしたが,晩年には枯淡な水墨画を多く描き,歌絵屏風や道釈画などを遺した。作例に「葡萄に鶏図」(松阪・長谷川家蔵)など。また茶人としても有名で,小堀遠州について遠州流を修め,その収集した茶道具は「八幡名物」と呼ばれ,後世「松花堂好み」として模された。昭乗の名声は高く,近衛家の恩顧を受けて広く公家に出入し,また烏丸光広,林羅山,石川丈山などと交流があった。そのひとり佐川田昌俊が『松花堂昭乗上人行状記』(1639)を書いている。56歳で没し,山城の円福寺別寺に葬られた。<参考文献>春名好重『寛永の三筆』,土居次義「画人としての松花堂」(『淡交』48号),大和文華館『松花堂昭乗展/図録』

(河野元昭)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

<<: Shoka Famine

>>: Elementary school - shougakko (English spelling) elementary school