For a hundred years [I have been] a person with no attachments 1766 - 1799

Editor: This scroll is titled "For a hundred years [I have been] a person with no attachments" by Jiun Sonja, made sometime between 1766 and 1799. It’s ink on paper. The bold, vertical strokes have an interesting flow to them. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Well, it's crucial to see this piece within the context of Edo-period Japan, a time of enforced isolation and rigid social hierarchy. Jiun Sonja was a Buddhist monk known for his radical Zen practice which critiqued these norms. His calligraphy here embodies that rejection, don't you think? Editor: In what ways? Curator: Look at the way the ink bleeds, the deliberate roughness of the strokes. This isn't refined courtly calligraphy, is it? The statement itself, “[I have been] a person with no attachments,” can be seen as a rejection of societal expectations and familial duties, a profound individual assertion. Do you see that relationship with philosophical views about detachment? Editor: I do. It's like he's deliberately breaking away from tradition to make a point about personal freedom. But was that freedom accessible to everyone then? Curator: Exactly! And that’s the tension, isn’t it? This sentiment might be radical, but its expression is enabled by Sonja's privileged position as a monk, distanced from the everyday struggles faced by most. Considering class and social structure in this work is an important analysis tool. Editor: I hadn’t considered it that way. Thanks for making me think about the piece in a completely new, much more nuanced light! Curator: The power of art history lies in these connections! We’re looking beyond aesthetics to unearth power structures and historical complexities within each artwork.