Title: Otekagami (Atlas of Revered Hands), Circa 770-1668. An Extraordinary Survivor of Manuscript Collecting, with 38 Pieces of Calligraphy and Art Attributed to Daimyos, Famed Monks, Poets, and More
Author: Attributed to Monk Jianzhen; Saigyō Hōshi; Masashige Kusunoki; Toyotomi Hideyoshi; Dengyo Daishi or Saicho; And Others
Condition: Very Good
An extraordinarily rare album of calligraphy and paintings compiled 17th century, titled Otekagami, or Atlas of Revered Hands, containing a truly exemplary collection of fragments from the Nara to Early Edo Period, or 8th to mid-17th century.
Also known as a “mirror of hands”, a tekagami is an album of calligraphy fragments from various poems, literature, sutras and other religious texts, letters, and more, typically accompanied by written and stamped appraisals known as kiwame-fuda, though the examples in this album are not stamped by the appraiser who likely worked on all of these examples. Much of the following information provided is thanks to the exceptional work of the U of Oregon Tekagami and Kyogire Projects.
However prevalent manuscript collecting was in Europe, it was just as lively in Japan, especially during the Edo Period, and continues today with a dedicated group of calligraphy collectors. To own a piece of calligraphy attributed to a famed poet, calligrapher, or historical figure, is akin to owning a magnificent leaf from a Book of Hours, or Missal, or Breviary. There’s a tangible, historical connection to be made between the collector and the piece itself, made more real with the kiwame-fuda inscription. It should also be noted that barring the cost of the calligraphy piece itself, there were steep charges that came with a single kiwame-fuda appraisal, often costing roughly $550 USD converted to modern sums for simpler examples, and much more if appraising significant examples.
It should be noted of course that such appraisals are not definitive, and at the end of the day, all listed attributions are those provided by prior Edo Period appraisers, not yet subjects to modern day scholarly study and identification. Just as a modern-day collector can acquire forgeries by accident, so too could the early collectors of Japan. Note the Oregon University study of carbon dating several examples of calligraphy which turned out to be slightly later copies on period paper, notably a Teika attributed example.
This album is a masterful compilation, providing examples attributable to authors from the late 7th century, up to the mid 17th century. The list of attributed authors seemed to heavily focused on famed monks and renga poets.
Some of the fragments are beautifully painted and decorated with different motifs, while others are brightly illuminated. The calligraphy is all varying, some done in bold brushwork, others in dizzying calligraphic styles, and the sutra fragments in a more rigid structure.
Of the 38 pieces of calligraphy and paintings which are in various formats, 11 have been identified or at least transcribed at most, and all the pieces are accompanied with corresponding kiwame-fuda inscriptions and stamps by their respective appraiser. With examples as early as the Nara Period, there is a varied collection of fragments, with noted authors such as Grand Monk Jien, the warrior and commander Kusunoki Masashige, Saigyō Hōshi, and more.
The comprehensive list of identified attributed authors is as followed:
Hōrinji Dōshō kokushi 法輪寺道證国師 (two different fragments), Shijō Dōjō [i.e. Konrenji 金蓮寺] Sogan 四條道場素眼 = Sogan 素眼 (Nanbokuchō era renga poet), Yoshimizu Sōjō Jichen 吉水僧正慈鎮 = Jien 慈円(1155–1225), Priest Kōgetsu 江月和尚 = Kōgetsu Sōgan 江月宗玩 (1574–1643), Tenryūji Musō Kokushi 天龍寺夢窓国師 = Musō Soseki 夢窓 疎石 (1275–1351), Saigyō Hōshi 西行法師 (1118–1190), Kusunoki Hangan Masashige 楠判官正成 = Kusunoki Masashige 楠正成 (1294–1336), Dengyō daishi 伝教大師 ＝ Saichō 最澄 (767–822), Toyotomi Hideyoshi 豊臣秀吉 (1537–1598), Seikanjidono Ietoshi 清閑寺殿家俊 (1378–1433) {difficult to discern characters}, 瑞光寺元政上人 Zuikōji Gensei shōnin = Gensei 元政 (1623–1668)
It should be noted that no example of a Tekagami, with all or most of its fragments identified, has been offered at any Western sale or catalog in recent decades.
All the calligraphy has been laid down and finely bound in orihon album format, with brocade designs of white flowering swirls against blue, decorating the covers. There is an early wooden box to accompany the album, preserving the contents.
One brocade decorated album of calligraphy in orihon format (36.5 x 33.2 cm), 13 leaves with 38 calligraphy fragments
This album is in very good shape, with minor rubbing and wear to the covers. Several fragments are partially wormed in marginal places, and a few have scattered staining and soiling.