Letter to the Nun Jōjūbō by Myōe Kōben 明恵高弁

Letter to the Nun Jōjūbō 1221

natural stone pattern

aged paper

naturalistic pattern

toned paper

water colours

asian-art

japan

watercolour bleed

textile design

imprinted textile

layered pattern

watercolor

calligraphy

"Letter to the Nun Jōjūbō", a calligraphic scroll by the Japanese Zen monk Myōe Kōben, is a beautiful example of Japanese *kaisho* script. Dating back to 1221, the work is a letter written in black ink on paper, and features the artist's own signature in the bottom left corner. The scroll is mounted with decorative fabric borders, and a visual representation of the Zen Buddhist practice of *shodō* or "the way of writing". It is currently housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.