Digital Book 'The Lost Autographs of the Sage of Calligraphy' Production Notes (6)

Chapter 6: Study in Tang and the Exchange of the Three Brushes
I. The Road to Tang: Crossing the Vast Ocean
By the end of the 8th century, Japan was already a member of the international stage, engaging in repeated cultural and diplomatic exchanges with the Great Tang.
The dispatch of the Kentoshi (missions to Tang) was a major undertaking for the state, requiring enormous funds and human lives, while also serving as a symbol of national prestige.
In the 23rd year of Enryaku (804), this delegation included two men who would later be known as the 'Three Brushes' (Sanpitsu): Tachibana no Hayanari and Kukai.
They boarded the same ship, departing from Nanotsu in Kyushu (modern-day Hakata) and choosing the southern route that passed through Okinawa and Amami Oshima.
Although the southern route was longer, it was considered easier to avoid currents and storms compared to the northern route. However, the shipwreck rate remained high, and there are records of entire fleets being lost.
*Note: The Kentoshi routes of the time were divided into the northern route (via the Korean Peninsula) and the southern route (via Okinawa), but from the end of the 8th century onwards, the southern route was primarily chosen. There are many records of storms and drifting.

Their ship, too, was engulfed by a storm in the middle of the East China Sea.
At night, white-capped waves glowed in the pitch-black sea, the rudder went wild, the sails were torn, and the ocean mercilessly battered the hull.
Yet, when they miraculously reached the port, water had pooled in the bilge, the planks were creaking, and the crew was covered in salt and exhaustion—but their eyes were shining with hope.

II. Tachibana no Hayanari: The Diplomat of Brush and Koto
Born around the first year of Enryaku (782) as the youngest son of Tachibana no Irio, Hayanari was precocious from childhood, showing extraordinary talent in waka poetry, Chinese poetry, the koto, and calligraphy.
Upon arriving in Chang'an, he immediately faced a language barrier.
Although there were interpreters, they could not convey the subtle nuances of calligraphy theory or art discussions.
'If words fail, I shall show them through action. The koto and the brush are universal languages.'

Hayanari's figure, taking up the brush by day and playing the koto by night, caught the eyes of the literati of Chang'an.
Before long, he began interacting with the famous scholar Liu Zongyuan and was praised as the 'Tachibana Talent'.
*Note: Liu Zongyuan was a great man of letters in the mid-Tang period and one of the 'Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song'. While a direct teacher-student relationship is not certain, it is certain that he was highly regarded.

III. Kukai: The Seeker of the Brush and the Dharma
Kukai, who was on the same ship, had entered the priesthood at a young age and traveled to Tang in search of the profound mysteries of Esoteric Buddhism.
In just two years, he inherited the lineage of Shingon Esoteric Buddhism from Master Huiguo and returned to Japan.
But Kukai's talent was not limited to religion.
His handwriting, which combined the softness of semi-cursive script with the strength of regular script, culminated in his masterpiece, the 'Fushinjo'.
Carrying back not only scriptures and Buddhist implements but also the secret traditions of calligraphy, Kukai's brushwork possessed both religious spirituality and physical dynamism, with the breath of prayer infused into every character.

IV. Emperor Saga: The Calligrapher of the Court
Welcoming Hayanari and Kukai back to Japan was the 52nd Emperor, Saga.
Born as a son of Emperor Kanmu, he possessed outstanding talent in poetry and calligraphy. Although he never traveled to Tang, he was known for his dignified regular script and elegant semi-cursive script.
A famous anecdote about Emperor Saga is the riddle of the 12 'child' characters with Ono no Takamura.
This is an episode that speaks to his insight in identifying talent and his wit.
*Note: Even after suppressing the Kusuko Incident (810), Emperor Saga devoted himself to cultural projects, pushing the court to become the center of Heian culture.

V. Encounter with the Autographs of Wang Xizhi
Emperor Saga, lamenting his inability to go to Tang, instead had the original autographs of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi brought from the depths of the Shosoin.
It is said that these included the original 'Yue Yi Lun' deposited by Empress Komyo.
Even after repeated tracing day and night, he could not reproduce the breath of the brushstrokes that had inhaled the air of Tang.
*Note: Treasures in the Shosoin could be taken out through 'shuzo' (official removal) or 'jobutsu' (removal of items), but many removals were not recorded, and the whereabouts of Wang Xizhi's original autographs remain unknown.

VI. The Name of the Three Brushes and Parting
The brushes of the three men instilled a new aesthetic sense in the court and determined the direction of Japanese calligraphy.
Though they would later be called the 'Three Brushes', their paths diverged.
Kukai opened the fundamental training ground for Shingon Esoteric Buddhism on Mount Koya, while Hayanari was implicated in the Jowa Incident and died on his way to exile.
Emperor Saga governed culture and politics at court, eventually retiring quietly.

VII. What Was Left Behind
The exchange between the Three Brushes was not merely a competition of calligraphy.
It was an attempt to determine how to Japanize Tang culture and pass it on to the next generation, and the original autographs of Wang Xizhi were the symbol of this.
However, the original autographs left the Shosoin through removal and vanished.
What remains are the calligraphic works of the Three Brushes, anecdotes, and a few records.
Even if the ink marks fade, the breath and heart infused into them still speak quietly from behind the paper.

VIII. Preview of the Next Chapter
Eventually, the day will come when the three gather in the great hall of the court.
Long-polished lacquer screens, the scent of incense-dyed robes, the pale sunlight streaming into the garden—
At the center, Emperor Saga, Kukai, and Tachibana no Hayanari meet, running their brushes before the original autographs of Wang Xizhi.
It was not merely a display of calligraphy, but a stage for a competition where soul met soul.
What they learned in Tang, what they traced in the Shosoin, what they nurtured in their own hearts—
The moment to pour everything onto a single sheet of paper and carve it into history was just about to begin.
Next chapter, 'Calligraphy Competition at Court (Creative)'.
You, too, will feel the breath of tension and exhilaration drifting in that space.

Kukai's 'Fushinjo', Tachibana no Hayanari's 'Ito Naishinno Ganmon', Emperor Saga's Imperial Brush 'Koku Cho Jonin Shi'