Ten Oxherding Songs - Karasumaru Mitsuhiro

A refined example of Edo period calligraphy and ink painting by Karasumaru Mitsuhiro, depicting a scene from the Zen Ten Oxherding Songs.

This work by Karasumaru Mitsuhiro presents a section of the Ten Oxherding Songs, a series of poems and illustrations used in Zen Buddhism to describe the stages of enlightenment. Mitsuhiro, a court noble and accomplished calligrapher, demonstrates his mastery of the brush through the fluid, cursive kana script that flows across the paper. The text is integrated with a small, circular ink drawing depicting a figure in a natural setting, a common motif in these allegorical narratives.

The composition balances negative space with the weight of the ink characters. The use of gold leaf accents provides a subtle contrast to the monochromatic ink, reflecting the aesthetic sensibilities of the early Edo period. Mitsuhiro was known for his personal style of calligraphy, which departed from the rigid standards of his time, favouring a more spontaneous and expressive approach. The paper itself features muted, earthy tones that ground the ethereal quality of the ink work.

In this specific segment, the relationship between the written word and the visual image is symbiotic. The oxherding tradition serves as a metaphor for the human mind, with the ox representing the untamed nature of the self and the herder representing the practitioner. The minimalist depiction of the figure within the circle draws the eye, while the surrounding calligraphy provides the philosophical context. This piece is an example of the fusion of literary and visual arts that defined the cultural output of the Japanese aristocracy during the seventeenth century. The print captures the texture of the original paper and the varying density of the ink, allowing for a close examination of the artist's hand and the deliberate placement of each stroke.