Shimizu Kōshō 清水公照 (1911-1999)
Shimizu Kōshō was born in the famous castle town of Himeji on January 3rd, 1911
and entered Tōdai-ji-Temple in Nara in 1927. Upon graduation in Buddhist studies
from Ryokoku University in 1933 he took up residence at Tenryu-ji for four years
to study and practice Zen under the guidance of the Abbot Seki Seisetsu (1877-1945).
When he returned to Tōdai-ji, the first steps of his career were closely linked to
the temple's teaching institutions. In 1947 he became Director of the school
(which was later to become the still existing Tōdai-ji High School).
In 1959 he was appointed the Director of the Monks' Academy (Kangakuin)
at Tōdai-ji, and in 1963 became Director of Tōdai-ji Girls' School and Tōdai-ji
Kindergarten. 1969 marked a turning point in Kōshō's career, when he was appointed
as Head of Religious Affairs of the Kegon Tradition. In 1975 the Abbot Kamitsukasa
Kaiun (1907-1975) died and Shimizu Kōshō was chosen as his successor, becoming
the 207th Abbot of Tōdai-ji. He remained in this position for only a short time, resigning in 1981.
For the remaining nearly twenty years of his life, he was dedicated to
the life of an artist. He became a prolific "eccentric" painter, calligrapher
and figurative potter. Unlike most artist-monks, he did not limit himself to
painting in only black ink, but enjoyed a full range of colours. His writing
and painting styles are what may be described as obsessively impulsive. In 1994,
when the Shosha Art and Craft Museum (in Himeji,
Hyogo Prefecture), was founded, Shimizu Kōshō was made its honorary
director because he donated a large number of his artworks. He died on May 6th, 1999.
Detail:
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Creator.Personal Name: 清水公照 (1911-1999)
Creator.Personal Name: Shimizu Kōshō (1911-1999).
Creator.Role: calligrapher
Title: 安座 [anza, informal sitting]
Description: hanging scroll; ink on paper; semicursive script kanji;
signed by the artist; one artist's seal; with original box (tomobako).
Type: Calligraphy--Japanese.
Type: Scroll (Visual work)--Japanese.
Culture: Japanese.
Style.Period: Modern.
Technique: painting.
Material.Medium: ink.
Material.Support: paper.
Measurements: 24.6 in. x 46.4 in.
Location.Current Repository: private collection, C. J. Campbell (Chicago, Ill.)
Rights: C. J. Campbell.
Record Type: work.
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Details: signature and seals.
Detail of tomobako:
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Japanese Calligraphy
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