Wang Xizhi - Ougishi

A calligrapher from the Eastern Jin Dynasty in China. He is respected as a calligrapher in both China and Japan. He was the son of Wang Huang, a cousin of Wang Dao, who was instrumental in the founding of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. His courtesy name was Yishao. He was from Linyi, Shandong Province, and served as Secretary (in charge of the imperial court's books), Wang You of Kuaiji, the governor of Linchuan, the governor of Jiangzhou, and the general of the army. Although he was from a distinguished family, he did not seek a position in the central government, and in 351 (the 7th year of the Yonghe era), he was appointed as the Right Army General and the Internal Clerk of Kuaiji, and was assigned to Shanyin County, Kuaiji County (Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province). He was called Wang Right Army because of this official title. In March 353, he met with famous people of the time, Xie An and Sun Zhuo, at the famous Lanting Pavilion in San'in Prefecture, and composed poems for them. This event is known to posterity as the "Kyokusui Banquet." After four years in office, he resigned, and thereafter he lived a secluded life, focusing on nature.

He was skilled at calligraphy from an early age, and was taught calligraphy by Lady Wei and his uncle Wang Yu, and also studied the remains of the Han and Wei dynasties. As his studies of calligraphy progressed, Xizhi's reputation as a skilled calligrapher gradually grew. It is also noteworthy that he perfected the practical calligraphy styles of regular, running, and cursive, which had first emerged in the Han dynasty, into artistic calligraphy. His calligraphy was highly respected during his lifetime, and was loved and praised by royalty and aristocrats in the Southern Dynasties of Song, Qi, and Liang. Furthermore, during the Sui and Tang dynasties, Emperor Taizong, a skilled calligrapher, respected Xizhi and collected his calligraphy widely, which led to Xizhi's calligraphy becoming very popular. Since then, he has played a major role and influenced calligraphy in later generations.

In Japan, the article for January 16, 754 (Tenpyo Shoho 6) in the Fuso Ryakki (Records of the Ryakuki of Japan) reports the arrival of Xizhi's calligraphy along with the arrival of Ganjin. Xizhi's calligraphy continued to be introduced to many countries after that, and had a major influence on the Japanese style of calligraphy perfected by the Sanbutsu and Sanseki of the Heian period. In the early modern period, the widespread arrival of Shujo (collected calligraphy collections) further elevated Xizhi's calligraphy to the status of a standard in calligraphy.

Today, no original works by Xizhi have survived, but there are rubbings made using the double-hook ink technique (a copying method in which tissue paper is placed over the transcribed characters to trace the outline and then filled in with ink) such as the "Sōranjō" (Imperial Household Agency) and "Kongshichūjō" (Maeda Ikutoku-kai), as well as "Lanting Xu", "Seventeenth Letter", and "Jiwang Shengjiao Xu" (Preface to the Shengjiao Journal of the Works of Kings). These give us an insight into Xizhi's calligraphy and the respect for it.

[Hiroyuki Shimatani]

“Wang Xizhi Calligraphy Series” edited by Yukison Uno et al. (1982, Tokyo Bijutsu)”

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、東晋(とうしん)時代の能書家。中国、日本において書聖として尊重される。東晋の建国に功労のあった王導(おうどう)の従弟(いとこ)王曠(おうこう)の子。字(あざな)は逸少(いっしょう)。琅邪(ろうや)臨沂(りんぎ)（山東省臨沂県）の人。秘書郎（宮中の典籍をつかさどる）をはじめとし、会稽(かいけい)王友、臨川大守、江州刺史(しし)、護軍将軍を歴任した。名門の出身であったが、中央政府の地位を求めず、351年（永和7）には右軍(ゆうぐん)将軍、会稽内史に任じられ、会稽郡山陰県（浙江(せっこう)省紹興(しょうこう)府）に赴任した。この官名により王右軍と称される。また353年3月、山陰県の名勝蘭亭(らんてい)に時の名士謝安、孫綽(そんしゃく)らと会合し、詩を賦したことは有名で、曲水(きょくすい)の宴として後世に伝わる。4年間の在任ののち辞任して、以後は自然に心を寄せ隠逸生活を送った。

　書は幼少よりよくし、衞夫人(えいふじん)や叔父王廙(おうよく)から筆法を授けられ、さらに漢魏(かんぎ)の遺品をも学んだ。学書が進むにしたがい、しだいに羲之の能書としての名声は高まっていった。また、彼が、漢代に萌芽(ほうが)した楷(かい)・行(ぎょう)・草(そう)の実用書体を芸術的な書体にまで完成させたことは特筆に値する。彼の書は在世中より尊重され、南朝の宋(そう)・斉(せい)・梁(りょう)の各王朝においても王侯貴族により愛好、絶賛された。さらに、隋(ずい)を経て唐代には能書帝太宗が羲之を尊重し、その書を広く収集したこともあって、羲之書法は大いに盛行した。以後、後世の書に果たした役割および影響は大きいものがある。

　日本においては、『扶桑略記(ふそうりゃっき)』の754年（天平勝宝6）正月16日の記事が、鑑真(がんじん)の渡来とともに羲之書法の伝来を伝える。その後も羲之書法の伝来は多く、平安時代の三筆、三蹟(さんせき)によって完成された和様書道にも大きな影響を与えた。また、近世になって盛んに渡来した集帖(しゅうじょう)などにより、さらに羲之書法は書の規範としての地位を高めていった。

　今日、羲之の真跡は伝存しないが、双鉤填墨(そうこうてんぼく)（書写された文字の上に薄紙を置いてその輪郭をとり、その中を墨で塗抹する模写法）による『喪乱帖(そうらんじょう)』（宮内庁）や『孔侍中帖(こうじちゅうじょう)』（前田育徳会）、さらに『蘭亭序(らんていじょ)』『十七帖』『集王聖教序(しょうぎょうのじょ)』などの拓本が伝えられ、これらによって羲之書法とその尊重ぶりをうかがうことができる。

［島谷弘幸］

『宇野雪村他編『王羲之書蹟大系』（1982・東京美術）』

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