Dojo Kakejiku

[Baka Gaijin]

Good Morning Minasama,

I wonder if anyone can help.

This is the kakejiku we use at my Dojo.

It is the idiom “Ichi Go Ichi Ei” (One Life, One Chance) often associated with Zen and the Tea Ceremony.

I found it in a small shop near Kagoshima in 2009.

I think it’s mid 20th Century work.

I would appreciate if anyone can make sense of the signature and the stamps.

 

[Baka Gaijin]

And here’s the last stamp:

 

[Bugyotsuji]

https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/王鐸

 

“Ō Taku”? Part of the last seal. To get the ball rolling… Maybe homage or something? 

[Baka Gaijin]

Piers, as always your knowledge is formidable.

 

The Ō Taku link relating to Late MIng and early Qing calligraphers is very interesting.

 

Might we be dealing with a specific style of Calligraphy inspired by the works of Ō Taku 1592-1652?

 

Much in the same way as some traditional Painters follow the 狩野派, Kanō-ha.

 

The game's afoot!!!

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

‘Ichi Go’ was originally a Buddhist concept describing this one chance at human life, but it is said that Sen no Rikkyū first used this four-character phrase as the spirit of the tea ceremony, and by extension, to life in general.

 

Later the famous Tairo, Ii Naosuke used it at the end of the Edo Period as embodying to him the essence of the philosophy of tea ceremony.

https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/一期一会

 

[mecox]

A very interesting saying and concept and shown here in a 1997 handbook on iaido

[Baka Gaijin]

Good afternoon Mal,

 

Thank you for the excerpt from the Iai-Do manual.

 

Very true statement.

 

For anyone encountering Four Character idioms for the first time, they are called Yojijukugo (四字熟語).

 

There are hundreds of them in popular use.

 

I like Ichi Nichi Ippo 一日一歩  "One Step Each Day"