Poem in Running Script late 18th - early 19th century

Murase Kōtei created this poem in running script with ink on paper. The characters themselves carry deep symbolic weight. More than mere words, they are ideograms that bridge language and visual representation. Consider the character for 'water'—it evokes the very essence of fluidity and change. We see echoes of this symbolic use of water in other artistic traditions. Water is a symbol that appears again and again in different cultures. In ancient Greek art, for instance, rivers were often depicted as gods, embodying life-giving and destructive forces. This act of writing transcends mere communication. It is a ritual, a dance between mind and hand, where each stroke carries the weight of tradition and personal expression. The dynamism of the calligraphy echoes a constant transformation and adaptation across cultures and time. Like memories surfacing from the depths of the collective unconscious, these symbols resurface, shaped and reshaped by the currents of history.