Taniuchi Seigan
Table of contents
Taniuchi Seigan (谷内清巌): Calligrapher of the Shingon Tradition
Taniuchi Seigan (谷内清巌) was a Japanese priest of the Shingon school and calligrapher. He was active at Jingo-ji, the mountain temple near Takao northwest of Kyōto, which traces back to Kūkai and ranks among the oldest sites of esoteric Buddhism in Japan.
Shingon, Not Zen
The attribution is more than a formality. Hanging scrolls with calligraphy are often classified in the trade indiscriminately as Zen calligraphy, but Seigan belonged to Mikkyō, esoteric Buddhism. There, writing holds a different position than in Zen: it is not the spontaneous expression of a state of mind, but stands within a ritual context in which sign and syllable possess their own efficacious power. Anyone assessing a scroll from this context should know the difference – it explains why the writing often appears more ordered and less impetuous than a Zen bokuseki.
Jingo-ji and Its History
Jingo-ji lies on a mountain slope above the Kiyotaki River and is reached by a long flight of stairs. Kūkai spent several years there after his return from China, before he developed Kōya-san. The temple preserves important Heian-period works of art and is today known above all for its autumn foliage.
Banzai and the Power of Few Characters
Banzai – ten thousand years – is a congratulatory expression meaning long life and continuance, still called out in Japan today. As calligraphy on a hanging scroll, it belongs to the greeting and congratulatory paintings that hang in the tokonoma at New Year, on birthdays, and at festivals. Two characters on a single surface demand particular care in their arrangement: the spacing between them and their relation to the paper's margin determine the effect just as much as the brushstroke itself.
