Riding the wind of rebirth

Chapter 804

Zhou Zhi said: "I guess, in Zen Master Kukai's writings, there is only the method of holding the brush, but not the method of using the brush."

Sakamoto Goro and An Zhaiying looked at each other with surprise on their faces: "Is there still a brushwork?"

"Huh?" Zhou Zhi was amused: "Of course, only the brushwork is the real essence of Er Wang's calligraphy!"

"Actually, there are many types of light pens in Chinese calligraphy. For example, the ones commonly used in the Jin Dynasty are divided into sparrow head, chicken distance, and willow leaves."

"Then it is similar to the method of writing in the writings left by Master Kukai."

"After having these two things, the next step is the writing angle and the method of brushwork."

"It involves a series of technical terms, which is why Zhang Xu said that he needs to learn from the descendants of the second queen, 'Otherwise, how do you know the words of the ancients'?"

"With the changes of the times, apart from the general change in the method of holding the brush, the change of the pen itself and the change of the writing angle have brought about a great change in the way of using the brush."

"But the method of using the brush is a kind of movement in the final analysis, and it cannot escape the characteristics of movement, so it does not mean that we cannot restore the ancient classic method of using the brush."

"So for the ancient brushwork, especially the Jin and Tang Dynasties, we should not only pay attention to the teacher's method, but we should not understand it too mechanically, we should not follow the picture, but we must master and understand it in practice."

"But generally speaking, the brushwork of the Jin and Tang Dynasties was indeed a set of technical guidelines centered on the two kings at the beginning, which was the crystallization of ancient classic calligraphy techniques. Mastered the core of the ancient law."

"The core point of using the pen is to have movements such as starting, moving, and retracting. The middle includes lifting, pressing, pausing, frustration, rounding, and square folding. The most important thing is to ensure the state of twisting. It is the cutting from the side that also needs to change the state of the strokes entering the paper immediately, and switching to the center makes the strokes full and round, and penetrates the back of the paper, which is the so-called penetrating three points."

Zhou Zhi tore a piece of paper from Lin Wanqiu's notebook, clamped it on the cap of the signature pen, and then demonstrated the method of writing. When writing the scriptures, the pieces of paper turned in all directions as the strokes stretched.

Zhou Zhi explained while writing: "The organic coordination of this set of movements requires long-term practice to achieve the desired effect. However, changes in the range of movements and strength will affect the generation of style."

"When writing small characters, the changes in the movement of the brush will not be so drastic, but when writing large characters, you must look for strong changes in the process of running the brush. No matter what font or shape you write, you need to have the above set of rules and regulations. It's just the movement. The priority will lose a thousand miles because of a slight difference between one breath and one breath."

"The brushwork of the Tang people is actually quite different from that of the Jin people. The Jin people's brushwork is more subordinate, emphasizing square folds and ancient rhymes, while the Tang people's brushwork is more decorative, emphasizing complete technical movements."

"There are also huge differences before and after the calligraphy of the Tang Dynasty. For example, the cursive scripts of Yu Shinan, Sun Guoting, Huai Su, and Zhang Xu are also very different. But they all use the central strokes, with smooth flow of energy and blood, square turns and round turns, and no edge in and out. , all of which are not in place, this is the biggest feature of Tang Shu Jinyi!"

"However, such a method is not clearly expressed in Zen Master Kukai's brushwork, especially at the turning points, please pay attention..." Zhou Zhi turned the penholder on the glass window at an angle, and the strokes also changed accordingly: "This is the method of turning the pen to keep the center forward. The pen tube must also have an advanced rotation during the turning of the stroke."

"Look again," Zhou Zhi wrote another stroke: "Look, this stroke only has the turning point of the strokes but not the turning point of the pen itself. After the turning point is completed, move the wrist and move to the center again, just like we write with a pen now." Words."

"Look again," Zhou Zhi wrote again: "This one is simply that after the turning point, even the center forward didn't recover it, and it was completed directly by the side peak."

"The first method is very complicated and requires skill, but the written characters are more in line with the aesthetic taste and style connotation of Jin people's emphasis on style and charm, and Tang people's emphasis on boldness and boldness. This is the Jin and Tang Dynasty brushwork."

"Of course, the calligraphy system is a very complicated system. It doesn't mean that Erwang's brushwork is the pursuit of the center of the pen. On the contrary, Erwang is still a master at using the side. If the side is used well, it will add a beautiful temperament to the calligraphy. This is the so-called 'side front to get beauty' in calligraphy."

"I'm just giving the simplest example to explain what is meant by the 'law' and 'inheritance' of calligraphy." Zhou Zhi took off the piece of paper from the pen tube and returned the pen to Lin Wanqiu: "But from these alone, we have at least learned It can be seen that Zen Master Kong Hai’s calligraphy uses the third method and the second method more at turning points. Therefore, although he tried his best to imitate the calligraphy style of the two kings of the Jin Dynasty in terms of concluding characters, but in the section of brushwork, It still seems relatively monotonous, far less rich than Zhang Huai, and it is even more difficult to chase after the second king, probably because he has not been taught by an expert."

Seeing Goro Sakamoto and Eiichi Anzhai turn pale, Zhou Zhi quickly said, "Of course, this does not mean that Zen Master Kukai is not a great calligrapher. On the contrary, there are many famous calligraphers who are not fond of the two kings in history. Kukai The Zen master was able to learn the characters of the two kings, but he walked out of his own way in the brushwork, combining the two, eh... the special italics of the Japanese restaurant, is it influenced by him?"

Seeing that Zhou Zhi did not slander Zen Master Kukai, the two breathed a sigh of relief. An Zhaiying smiled and said, "Yes, that set of fonts was actually imitated from Zen Master Kukai's "Heart Sutra."

Zhou Zhi said: "Actually, the brushwork in the Jin and Tang Dynasties is not absolutely suitable for today. Many people don't know that calligraphy has undergone a huge change in the Song Dynasty."

"Excuse me, Mr. Xiao Zhou, what's the change?" Eiichi Anzhai asked.

"The direction of the writing plane has changed."

"What does this mean?" Eiichi Anzhai was even more confused.

"The Qin and Han Dynasties often wrote bamboo slips. The writer held the bamboo slips in one hand and the pen in the other. The way of writing is like this." Zhou Zhi made a comparison: "The plane of writing is roughly perpendicular to the ground, and the direction of the pen is roughly horizontal to the ground. of."

"Including silk scripts, this is mostly the case. In the Jin and Tang Dynasties, this style of calligraphy has also been preserved."

"The double-hook method was invented in the Tang Dynasty. It was used to copy the calligraphy of famous masters. It was to cover the calligraphy with yellow wax paper, trace the outline of the strokes on both sides through sunlight, and fill in the middle. This is the origin of the name "Shuanggou."

"This is also in line with the style of calligraphy written vertically at that time."

"To match this vertical writing method, the brushes at that time mostly used wolf hairs, which were full of elasticity and could resist the gravity after dipping in ink."

"Until the Song Dynasty, wooden tables and chairs became popular, and the way of writing was more changed to laying paper on the table, and the writing plane became horizontal to the ground, while the direction of the pen barrel was perpendicular to the ground."

"Yat brushes with softer brush hairs were widely used at this time, and the way of writing had changed greatly. Therefore, the style of the book after it was completed would inevitably have some deflection from the Jin and Tang Dynasties."

"Even if it is the most extreme imitation, there will be some differences in details because of these basic changes."

"In fact, this can be regarded as a practical change that keeps pace with the times, rather than an artistic and aesthetic degeneration." Zhou Zhi concluded in the end: "It's a mistake to follow the rote."

(End of this chapter)