Emperor's Letter - Shinkanyo

Japanese: 宸翰様 - しんかんよう

Shinkan refers to the handwriting of the emperor. Among the many Shinkan styles in the history of Japanese calligraphy, the Japanese style of Shinkan from the Northern and Southern Courts period, such as that of Emperor Go-Daigo, is particularly referred to as "Shinkan style." Emperor Go-Daigo had a deep knowledge of Neo-Confucianism and was also a follower of Zen Buddhism, so he naturally adopted the Song and Zen styles that were popular at the time, bringing a new style to Japanese calligraphy, but other emperors of the same era also developed a style that was unrestrained and spirited, different from other eras. Although this style is called Shinkan style, it is still Japanese calligraphy and had no influence whatsoever on the subsequent trends in calligraphy.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

宸翰とは天皇の筆跡のこと。日本書道史上では数多の宸翰のうち，後醍醐天皇など南北朝時代の宸翰の和様を特に〈宸翰様〉と称している。後醍醐天皇は朱子学の造詣が深く，禅宗にも帰依し，おのずから当時流行の宋風と禅林の書法をうけ，和様書道に新風をもたらしたが，同時代の他の天皇もおおむね他の時代とは異なる奔放で気迫のある書風を展開した。こうした様式を宸翰様と呼ぶが，和様書道であることに変りはなく，その後の書道の流れの上にはまったく影響を及ぼさなかった。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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