Kumagai Tsuneko Memorial Museum Kana no Bi Exhibition "Saigyo's 'Sankashu': Calligraphy beloved by Kumagai Tsuneko"

Kumagai Tsuneko Memorial Museum Kana no Bi Exhibition "Saigyo's 'Sankashu': Calligraphy beloved by Kumagai Tsuneko"

Date: December 2025, 4 (Sat) - April 19, 2025 (Sun)

Introduction of exhibition contents

　The Kumagai Tsuneko Memorial Museum will hold an exhibition on the beauty of kana. This exhibition will introduce calligraphy that Tsuneko was familiar with, focusing on the Sankashu, a collection of waka poems by the Heian period monk Saigyo (1118-1190). Saigyo served Emperor Toba (1103-1156) as a samurai. In 1140, he became a monk under the name Saigyo Hoshi, traveled around Japan, and in his later years lived in a hermitage at Kokawa-dera Temple in Osaka, where he passed away in 1190. Tsuneko's assessment of Saigyo is that "he was a northern warrior who served Emperor Toba, but he became a monk and became known as Saigyo or En'i, and was famous as a poet" (note 1). She also states that "Saigyo, who appears in the Tale of Ugetsu, seems like a highly refined and noble monk" (note 2).

　Tsuneko copied the Ichijo Setsu Shoshu, which is said to have been copied by Saigyo, and became interested in Saigyo's waka poetry and calligraphy. Ichijo Setsu Shoshu is a collection of poems by Fujiwara Koretada (924-972), the Ichijo regent of the Heian period, and is also attracting attention as a tale of poetry. Tsuneko praised the handwriting in Ichijo Setsu Shoshu, saying, "The characters are large and free-flowing. The style is familiar because it is not restrictive" (note 3). Tsuneko, who treasured Saigyo's Sankashu, repeatedly copied Ichijo Setsu Shoshu, pursuing fluent calligraphy that matched Saigyo's style of poetry, and produced many works.

　This exhibition will feature works such as "Ise no Nishi" (c. 1934), which expresses a poem from the "Sangashu" that Saigyo composed when he visited Bishamon-do Temple on Mt. Fukuo in Mie Prefecture, a temple of the devotion of Prince Shotoku, and established a hermitage at Umegaoka at the foot of the mountain; "Tsunokuni no" (1965), based on a poem from the "Shin Kokin Wakashu" in which Saigyo reminisces about Settsu, now Naniwa in Osaka; and "Yoshinoyama" (1985), which is based on a poem from the "Sangashu" that praises the scenery of spring arriving at Mt. Yoshino in Nara. Please enjoy the works of Tsuneko, who has been familiar with Saigyo's waka and calligraphy.

Note　

1937 Tsuneko Kumagai, “Kaname Gakushuho (1)” “Shodo”, January XNUMX, Taito Shodoin

1938 Tsuneko Kumagai, “Funesyosha”, Shodan Shinpo, August 8, Shodan Shinposha

1978. Tsuneko Kumagai, Calligraphy Kana: From Basics to Creation, XNUMX, Macosha　

 

Kumagai Tsuneko Memorial Museum Kana no Bi Exhibition "Saigyo's 'Sankashu': Calligraphy beloved by Kumagai Tsuneko"

• Press release (PDF)

• Flyer (PDF)

Exhibition information

Session	2025/4/19 (Sat) - 2025/7/6 (Sun)
Museum Hours of Operation	9:00 to 16:30 (Last admission 16:00)
Museum Holidays	Every Monday (or the following day if Monday is a public holiday)
Museum Admissions Fee	Adults 100 yen, junior high school students and under 50 yen * Free for those aged 65 or older (proof required), preschool children, and those with a disability certificate and one caregiver
Gallery talk	Saturday, April 4th, Sunday, May 26th, Saturday, May 5th, Saturday, June 4st 11:00 and 13:00 every day I will explain the contents of the exhibition. For details, please contact the Ota City Kumagai Tsuneko Memorial Hall at 03-3773-0123.
Garden open to the public	April 4th (Friday) - April 25th (Sunday), May 4rd (Saturday) - May 27th (Tuesday/Holiday) 9:00-16:30 (entry until 16:00) The garden will be open to the public for a limited time. Please come and enjoy the blooming azaleas and satsuki azaleas.
Venue	Ota City Tsuneko Kumagai Memorial Hall (4-5-15 Minami Magome, Ota City) From the west exit of JR Keihin Tohoku Line Omori Station, take Tokyu Bus No. 4 bound for "Ebaramachi Station Entrance" and get off at "Manpukuji-mae", then walk for 5 minutes 10 minutes walk from the south exit of Nishi-Magome Station on the Toei Subway Asakusa Line along Minami-Magome Sakura-namiki-dori (Cherry Blossom Promenade)