Author: Stephen Addiss

Publisher/Date: Shambhala Pubns 2006. 1st ed.
ISBN: 0834-80571-5 ISBN 13: 978-0834-80571-2

Format/Condition: New hardcover with dust jacket in fine condition. 259 pages , index

Description: Publisher Comments: The first book on Japanese calligraphy that focuses on the Momoyama and Edo periods (1568-1868), 77 Dances examines the art of writing at a time when it was undergoing remarkable development. Everything from complex Zen conundrums to gossamer haiku poems were written with verve, energy, and creativity that display how deeply the fascination for calligraphy had penetrated into the social fabric of Japan. Examining the varied groups of calligraphers that were creating works for diverse audiences, 77 Dances displays how these artistic worlds both maintained their own independence and interacted to create a rich brocade of calligraphic techniques and styles.

The book begins with basic information on calligraphy, followed by six main sections, each representing a major facet of the art, with an introductory essay followed by detailed analyses of the seventy-seven featured works. The essays include the revival of Japanese courtly aesthetics with a new boldness in writing poems on highly decorated paper. The use of Chinese writing styles and script forms, reflecting a renewed interest in Chinese culture and philosophy Scholars who took up the brush to express their Confucian ideals and compose their own verse in Chinese Calligraphy by major poets and painters. The development of haiku as a major literary form practiced by master poet-painters who wrote on narrow poem-slips as well as on larger paper or silk formats The work of famous Zen masters such as Hakuin and Ryokan, whose poems, aphorisms, and teachings written out for the public created a form of calligraphy that became an important cultural force throughout Japan