ー  IN 1945, NANKOKU HIDAI WROTE THE FIRST ABSTRACT WORK IN THE HISTORY OF CALLIGRAPHY . HIS ART OF LINE IMPACTED ON THE WORLD. HIS WORKS WERE COLLECTED BY SUCH PUBLIC MUSEUM AS MOMA. THIS SITE INTRODUCES THE WHOLE ACTIVITY OF NANKOKU.  ー

The schedule of " Festival of New Music " for 18 days included the performances of ancient musical instruments and chamber orchestra in the Netherlands, and Japanese participation in the festival included the performances  Satoshi Ichiyanagi (contemporary music composer and piano), Michiko Hirayama (soprano singer) (*1), Maki Ishii  (conductor) (*2) in classical music, and the Masahiko Togashi Quartet (*3), Yosuke Yamashita Trio (Akira Sakata, saxophone + Shota Koyama, drum + Yosuke Yamashita, piano) in jazz, and also Gagaku (the court music of the Japan) ensemble, Kazue Sawai (So《筝koto》performer, 17strings So performers) (*4), Tadao Sawai (voice, So performance, three strings), Seizan Ishigaki (*5) (Shakuhachi performer), and so on. In the film, Akira Kurosawa, Shuji Terayama, Yoji Kuri (animation), Nagisa Oshima, Hiroshi Teshigawara, and Alain Resnais (“Hiroshima mon amour") were showed. In addition, kendo, judo, aikido and karate were also demonstrated.

After the official opening by Mrs. M.H.M F. Gardeniers-Berendsen (*6) on Saturday 23, Nankoku gave a big-brush "calligraphy performance" and "Lecture on Oriental calligraphy" in front of many young people in the hall of Middelburg City Hall. Nankoku's works were exhibited in the corner of the hall.

Nankoku participated in this "Festival of New Music" because he was requested for cooperation from conductor Maki Ishii who had kept the friendship with him. He was also influenced by his invitation to the Exhibition on "Tradition and Innovation in Japanese Art" in 1959, sponsored by Kröller-Müller Museum 20 years ago. In addition, it can be assumed that the reason why Nankoku actively participated in this festival is related to the idea that there is much in common as art between "calligraphy and music".

2． Nankoku and Music

Nankoku became very interested in classical music since he was a boy, then he developed an obsessive interest in the violin and learned to play the violin under musician Hajime Uchida, and showed such talent that he was regarded as a member of his teacher’s symphony orchestra. However, he abandoned the way of musician with the intension of his father Tenrai. Nankoku devoted himself to the way of calligraphy and explored the artistry of calligraphy. At that time, it was music that had a big influence on Nankoku.

Nankoku insisted that the essence of art of calligraphy was the line expression which depended on a disciplined brush-stroke and had nothing to do with the meaning of the character or the literary factor. One of the reasons for this insistence is Nankoku's understanding of music. According to the theory of musical aesthetics by Eduard Hanslick (1825–1904), music itself is independent and does not require any externally inserted content in order to build its beauty. Its beauty belongs only in the artistic combination of sounds, and sounds manifest themselves in the unrestricted form to listeners’ spirits. The expression of musical beauty is composed by sound-constituents such as melody, harmony and rhythm, so the musical beauty is the independent beauty which aims at the realization of beauty itself.

‘Sho’ (calligraphy) itself is a pure form which consists of "element of the calligraphy", such as the quality of the brush line (fast or slow, forceful or soft) and the shade of the ink (strong or weak, thick or thin, blurred or dry), the whole composition (arrangement and relation of blank), the union (rhythm, harmony, contrast), and the effect of the materials (paper and the mount). And the essence of Sho is the expression of the disciplined line. To discipline does not mean mere technical training, but rather means the fact that line expression has been trained consciously in the flow of calligraphy's history. Therefore, the basis of the discipline of the calligraphy is in the history of the calligraphy. The basis is to learn the discipline of line expression from the classics of calligraphy’s history. This is ‘Rin-Sho (copy and study various line expression in the ancient calligraphy)’. Through Rin-Sho (copy and study) the classical masterpieces of calligraphy, calligraphers learn how to use a brush, the force of brush-stroking, and the construction of calligraphy. 

3.Rin-Sho and Music Playing

"Rin-Sho"

Nankoku inherited the significance of Rin-Sho as study of calligraphy from his father, Tenrai Hidai. Tenrai called the first stage of Rin-Sho "an absolute example-centered（手本本位）stage", and there "students should renounce themselves and copy and study carefully, so as not to slight one dot and one stroke of a kanji character in the classical calligraphies of square style (楷書), semi-cursive style (行書), and cursive style (草書)”.

The second stage of Rin-Sho is "a self-centered（自己本位）stage", and the brush usage which could be gotten in the first stage is made his own principle, and "a student should copy and study calligraphy with the intention of adjusting every calligraphy of Wang Xizhi (王羲之) or Wang Xianzhi (王献之) to the principle of the self.” The student does not write adjusting the example, but the brushstrokes acquired in the first stage are carried out as his own individuality. And, Rin-Sho arrives at the third stage, "harmony stage between the example and the self". It is neither an absolute example-centered stage like the first stage, and nor a self-centered stage of the second stage. The self and the example amalgamate to reach a natural ‘Hitsu-I’ (expression of the brush line) without compulsion. So to speak, Tenrai advocated the calligraphic theory which looked like ‘thesis- antithesis-synthesis’ of the dialectic.

For Nankoku, Rin-Sho is to learn the discipline of line expression from the classics of calligraphic history. At that time, a student should learn not only what he writes easily and what he likes, but also what he hardly writes and what he dislikes, because it is necessary to get rid of the habit and to get out of the brush habit. From such Rin-Sho, he can obtain his own property (humanity) for himself. And through continuing Rin-Sho an unreasonable self-claim and self-intention are washed away, then a natural and free Sho is realized. In addition, Nankoku insisted, "The calligraphy is the music playing ". The art of calligraphy cannot understand without《playing it》to the full.

"Music Playing"

In music, a musical work does not appear unless the actual action of playing an instrument is passed. Even if the composer writes the score in detail and leaves meticulous instructions to the performers on the score, the music will not appear unless it is actually performed. Even though you can read a musical score and hear a sound in your head, it's not the music the audience hears. Therefore, the performer must first familiarize himself with the playing technique of the instrument. In the mastery of the playing technique, you must practice not only the phrases which are easy to play, but also the phrases which are difficult to play. In addition, you must familiarize with the note and three elements (melody, chord, rhythm), and it is essential for you to understand the contrapuntal method and sonata form in the history of classical music. Therefore, the discipline for expressing music can only be done by playing classical music. The performer must first be able to play faithfully to the score as instructed by the composer. However, the score does not play the sound. Naturally, the performance comes with the "interpretation of the work" of the performer. Even if you seemed to be able to play faithfully to the Bach’s score, the performance of composer Bach cannot reach your ears now. And you can follow Bach’s instructions ; nevertheless it is also absurd to play at all times with harpsichords and classical instruments. "Interpretation" is accompanied with the individuality and creativity of the performer. However, the interpretation does not become a performance if it is a self-centered style and strange or unbridled, even if said you insist on your own ‘individuality or creativity’. Through repeating practice, you will be able to express your music naturally and freely.

“Rin-Sho” and Music Playing”

‘Rin-Sho’ must also accurately observe the classical masterpieces of calligraphy and reproduce their line expressions. Don't let it flow into a self-centered style that's easy to write. Unless you repeatedly learn just the calligraphic examples with much resistance, you cannot write freely. You confront the classics as a self-centered level, and as your individuality with the brushstrokes obtained as your own. It is similar to the unavoidable "interpretation of the musical work". Through the process of Rin-Sho, the natural and free Sho appears.

The greatest similarity between music and calligraphy is in the passage of time that passes away. The music playing is in the passage of time when the sound of music is moving. The calligraphy is also the passage of time which passes away by the movement of the brush which is moving . Both are the fleeting time arts. You play music repeatedly, or you write over and over again. This repetition is not just to rewind time. It is always an activity that creates existence from nothing. The remembrance of music and the vicarious experience of the calligraphy are not repetitions of the past. It is a present time when the sound of music and the brush line are moving.

4． Calligraphy and Festival of New Music

The festival with the theme of "Japan" was not just a festival to celebrate the sister city between Middelburg and Nagasaki. Moreover, it was not only an introduction of "Exotic Japan" which was different and seductive for the Dutch. It was a presentation of the place where Dutch people could perceive what aspects the music and the culture of calligraphic art of Japan rooted in the Orient showed now. What kind of “Art of New Music” the performances of ‘gagaku, So(筝) and shakuhachi’ were aiming for, while being based on the foundation of Japanese tradition? Also, how the sound of traditional Japanese music was echoing into Western forefront music, such as 12-tone music, atonal music, electronic music and free jazz, etc.?  And Nankoku found ‘line expression’ at the basis of the continuous history of calligraphy for 3,500 years, but how Nankoku presented the global “New Art of Line” ?

Since the 17th century, Japan and the Netherlands have interacted in a different historical situation, and it could be said that this festival entrusted the future of "New Art" to today’s youth.