Chiei

Date of birth and death unknown. A monk and calligrapher from the Chen to Sui dynasties (late 6th century) in China. He was from Huaiji, Zhejiang Province. His common surname was Wang, and his given name was Faji. He is said to be the grandson of the 7th generation of the calligrapher Wang Xizhi. He became a monk along with his brother Xiaobin, and lived at Yongxin Temple in Wuxing, Zhejiang Province, and in the Sui dynasty lived at Ximing Temple in Chang'an. His calligraphy conveyed the orthodoxy of the Southern Dynasties, and he excelled in both vertical and horizontal brushwork and in the two styles of Shinsho, making him the most famous calligrapher of his time. There is a famous story that he shut himself up in the upper level of Yongxin Temple for 30 years, copied over 800 copies of "Shinsho Thousand Characters," and donated them to various temples. He can be said to have been a calligrapher who played an important role connecting Wang Xizhi to the Tang dynasty.

[Hiroshi Kakui]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

生没年不詳。中国、陳～隋(ずい)代（6世紀後半）の僧侶(そうりょ)、書家。浙江(せっこう)省会稽(かいけい)の人。俗姓は王氏、名は法極。書聖王羲之(おうぎし)7世の孫という。兄の孝賓(こうひん)とともに出家、浙江省呉興の永欣(えいきん)寺に住し、隋代には長安の西明寺に住した。書は南朝の正統を伝え、筆力縦横、真草二体に優れ、当時もっとも書名が高かった。永欣寺閣上に30年間閉じこもり、『真草千字文』800余本を臨模し、諸寺に施したという有名な話がある。王羲之から唐代へとつなぐ重要な役割を果たした書家といえよう。

［角井　博］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例