Ono no Michikaze
Ono no Michikaze ( Japanese 小野 道 風 , or in respectful reading Ono no Tōfū ; born 894 ; died February 9, 967 ) was a Japanese court official and calligrapher of the middle Heian period .
life and work
As a descendant of a court nobleman ( kuge ) from the 7th century, Ono no Imoko, he was the son of Ono no Kuzuo. He was an outstanding figure in a family that produced a number of literary connoisseurs. Michikaze was particularly known for his calligraphy and, with Fujiwara no Sukemasa and Fujiwara no Yukinari, was one of the "three who have left traces of writing " ( 三 跡 , Sanseki ). Although no authentic examples of his way of writing kana still exist, there are documents of his using kanji .
A good example is the drafting of texts for a screen, the Byōbu dodai ( 屏風 土 代 ). This text has been kept as a scroll for many years. The actual text consists of about ten poems by Michikazes contemporary poet Ōe no Asatsuna ( 大江 朝綱 ; 886-958), which had been ordered in the 12th month of the 6th year Enchō (early 928) for a screen for the imperial palace. The brushstroke is rich and soft, the movement quite deliberate, so that an attractive warmth can be felt.
At the beginning of the 10th century, a cultural development had taken place in Japan, which brought together relationships with the mainland that had been going on for centuries. This process can be characterized as a kind of Japaneseization of continental influences. This change also included the art of which calligraphy was a part. Until then, with a few exceptions, calligraphy had been done in a strictly Chinese manner, which as a whole was serious, defined and precise. Michikaze's style is in complete contrast in many ways. This style, which developed in Japan in the 10th century, is called "Japanese way" ( 和 様 Wayō ) to differentiate it from the Chinese style. Michikaze was at the forefront of this development.
Legend has it that Michikaze, who was never satisfied with his art, watched a frog try in vain to jump to a willow tree. Michikaze and the frog became a popular motif from the 18th century. In the card game Hanafuda this is the picture card in the November episode.
The city of Kasugai in Aichi Prefecture has dedicated a museum to Michikaze, the "Kasugai Tōfū Memorial Museum" ( 春日 井 市道 風 記念 館 Kasugai-shi Tōfū kinenkan ).
literature
- Tazawa, Yutaka: Ono no Michikaze (Tōfū) . In: Biographical Dictionary of Japanese Art . Kodansha International, 1981, ISBN 0-87011-488-3 .
Web links
- Kasugai Tofu Memorial Museum (Japanese)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Japanese yūsokuyomi ( 有 職 読 み ). The Japanese name reading was replaced by a Sino-Japanese on reading .
- ↑ From the Hanafuda sentence "President" ( 大 統領 , Daitōryō ) by Nintendo .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ono no Michikaze |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ono no Tōfū; 小野 道 風 (Japanese) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Japanese painter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 894 |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 9, 967 |