Cho Suiryo

A Chinese politician and calligrapher in the early Tang Dynasty. He was born in Qiantang, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. His pen name was Dengshan. He is one of the three great calligraphers of the early Tang Dynasty, along with Yu Shinan and Ouyang Xun. He was well versed in literary studies and was highly esteemed by the second Tang Emperor Taizong, who ordered him to analyze and collect the handwriting of Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. He eventually became a close attendant to the emperor, a Kangi Taifu (a councilor in Japan), and then a Zhongshorei (Chusho Ling) (Chushu Minister), the head of the Zhongshu Ministry, which was in charge of documents and imperial edicts for the imperial court. He was so favored that he was entrusted with the future affairs of the emperor when Emperor Taizong died. Under the third emperor, Gaozong, he was appointed Duke of Henan (Governor of Henan Province) and further became Minister of the Right. However, he was unable to stop Gaozong from marrying Empress Wu (Empress Wu Zetian) as empress, and was exiled to Aizhou (present-day northern Vietnam), where he died. His remaining calligraphy includes the regular script Monument to Meng Fa Shi, Monument to Preface to the Sacred Teachings of Yanta, and Monument to the Buddha's Hall in Yi Que, as well as the semi-cursive script Monument to the Withered Tree, and rubbings of these works are still popular today as models for learning Chinese characters.

[Akira Nagoya]

"Calligraphy Art 3: Suiryo Tsuji and Others" edited by Yujiro Nakata (1972, Chuokoron-Shinsha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、唐代初期の政治家、書家。浙江(せっこう)省杭州(こうしゅう)、銭塘(せんとう)の人。字(あざな)は登善(とうぜん)。虞世南(ぐせいなん)、欧陽詢(おうようじゅん)とともに初唐三大家の一人。広く文章学問に通じて唐の2代皇帝太宗(たいそう)に重んじられ、その下命を受けて東晋(とうしん)の王羲之(おうぎし)の筆跡の鑑定や収集整理に携わった。やがて、皇帝に近侍する諫議大夫(かんぎたいふ)（わが国の参議）、そして宮廷の文書・詔勅をつかさどる中書(ちゅうしょ)省の長官たる中書令(ちゅうしょれい)（中務卿(なかつかさきょう)）に進んだ。太宗の崩御に際しては後事を託されるほどの寵幸(ちょうこう)を得たという。3代高宗のもとでは河南公(かなんこう)（河南省の知事）に封ぜられ、さらに尚書右僕射(しょうしょうぼくや)（右大臣）に至った。しかし、高宗が武氏（則天武后(そくてんぶこう)）を皇后として入輿(じゅよ)することをいさめていれられず、愛州（現ベトナム北部地方）に左遷され、この地で没した。遺墨として楷書(かいしょ)の「孟法師碑(もうほうしひ)」「雁塔聖教序碑(がんとうしょうきょうじょひ)」「伊闕仏龕碑(いけつぶつがんひ)」、行書の「枯樹賦(こじゅのふ)」などが知られ、その拓本は、今日も漢字手習いの手本として人気が高い。

［名児耶明］

『中田勇次郎編『書道芸術 3　褚遂良ほか』（1972・中央公論社）』

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