Zen-kalligrafie 1888 - 1968

This hanging scroll was made by Ōishi Junkyō, who lived from 1888 to 1968. I imagine him carefully grinding his ink, preparing the brush, and then, with a deep breath, letting the marks flow onto the paper. Look at how the gold shimmers against the dark ground. I can almost see Ōishi’s hand moving, each stroke deliberate yet fluid. There’s a real sense of rhythm here, almost like a dance. He’s really in the zone. Is he thinking about other calligraphers? Is he thinking about the other ink paintings he has made? The texture of the paper, the way the ink bleeds and spreads. It's not just about writing words; it's about capturing a moment, a feeling, a state of mind. It feels as if he wants to say something that language can't quite capture. It makes me wonder what those gaps and absences represent in his work. Maybe he is showing us that language can never fully express our experience of the world.