Mountain Cherries c. mid 19th century

Kikuchi Gozan created this hanging scroll of calligraphy on paper in Japan, sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. Calligraphy was more than just a writing style in Japan; it was a respected art form closely tied to Zen Buddhism and social status. Kikuchi Gozan, born to a family of physicians, would likely have been trained in calligraphy as part of his education, crucial for navigating social and professional life in Edo-period Japan. The choice of script and the very act of creating calligraphy served as a self-conscious performance of his cultural knowledge. The text itself, probably a poem, speaks of "mountain cherries." To fully understand Gozan's work, we might turn to collections of Japanese poetry or manuals of calligraphy. Researching such materials allows us to consider how this work may or may not have challenged the artistic conventions of its time.