{"product_id":"red-cliffs-taisho-gold-calligraphy-screens-ー伊藤-明瑞","title":"Red Cliffs, Taisho Gold Calligraphy Screens ー伊藤 明瑞","description":"\u003cp\u003eA moral treatise scrolls down in perfectly written black characters on the challenging surface of beaten gold applied to this pair of 6 panel screens written by Ito Meizui depicting the famous Red Cliff Poems of Su Dongpo dated 1922. In Japan, with its philosophical emphasis on transience, the red cliff poems have long been held in high regard, and images of the red cliffs, or of Su Shi and his party can be traced back hundreds of years in popular culture. The poem describes an event in the late summer of 1082 when the author and a group of friends took a boat trip by the base of the Red Cliff happily drinking wine and reciting poetry until one man begins to think sadly of the famous battle there, recounted in The History of The Three Kingdoms. This made him realize the insignificance of human beings in comparison to the river and universe. Su then counsels his friend on the evanescence of human life and the eternity of nature. He also states one should not take what does not belong to him\/her, except those eternal treasures of the creator like the moon or wind which everyone can enjoy. The guest was delighted at last and fell asleep. Ink on applied gold in a natural wood frame, it is 367 x 173 cm (144 1\/2 x 68 inches) and is in overall excellent condition. A few minor losses to the gold along the edges (see detail photos).\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIto Meizui (1889-1948) Meizui was born in Wakayama prefecture, given name Miyamoto Masaoto. He began calligraphic studies at the age of 2 under Nankai Tetsuzan. He was recognized in calligraphy circles as a child prodigy, mastering the style of Wang Xizhi when he was only five years old. On February 13 1895, still just five years old, he was given the honor of a calligraphy performance before the Meiji emperor, and was granted the name Meizui. In 1902 he took a residence in Akashi city. He entered as a house boy (Shosei) for Ito Hirofumi, a powerful statesman who served as the first Prime minister of Japan and dictated much of Japanese policy in the Meiji era.  From then he was known as Ito Meizui and would spend his life teaching and performing calligraphy for the Imperial family and aristocrats, public agencies, Temples, Shrines, and teaching workshops throughout the nation.  He passed away at his home in Akashi in 1948.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSuShi (also known by the art name Su Dongpo, 1037-1101) is an important figure in Chinese literature considered to be one of the greatest poets. He was a polymath and government official with a turbulent career. In 1079 he was accused of defaming the emperor in the Wutai Poem Incident, and sent into Exile. It was during this time that he wrote the Red Cliff Poems. The Ode depicted Su and his friends travelling on a small boat to visit the Red Cliffs just outside Huangzhou in an autumn night in 1082. He recalled the Battle of Red Cliff (Chibifu or Battle of Chibi) in 208 AD. It was a defining battle between the allied forces of the Southern warlord Liu Bei and Sun Quan against the numerically superior forces of the Northern warlord Cao Cao in which the smaller band emerged victorious. The poem focuses on the event and the figure of Cao Cao which had occurred more than 800 years before that time. Su lingers on the rise and fall of great historical figures, the brevity of life and the hypocritical nature of people with an emphasis on the certainty of change in life. He also wrote poems on Buddhist topics, including a poem later extensively commented on by Dogen, founder of the Zoto School of Japanese Zen Buddhism. He was pardoned and recalled to the capitol, but again banished in 1094. Pardoned again in 1100, he died before returning to the capitol.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ito Meizui","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50692705583351,"sku":"NA017","price":799800.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0658\/7472\/3063\/files\/NA017.jpg?v=1776480332","url":"https:\/\/kuramonzen.com\/ja\/products\/red-cliffs-taisho-gold-calligraphy-screens-%e3%83%bc%e4%bc%8a%e8%97%a4-%e6%98%8e%e7%91%9e","provider":"Kura Monzen Gallery","version":"1.0","type":"link"}