Travelogue Triptych of a Monk | Tamada (unknown) | 1767-? (dated 1831)

This is probably the most idiosyncratic calligraphy in the Guignard Kyoto Collection. It is a travel or pilgrimage account by a monk who wanted to capture all the rich impressions of the places he visited. He even painted a portrait of himself, revealing his wit with a barely perceptible twinkle in his eyes. His priestly name is Tamada. The first character, tama, means "jewel," while the second is best known in the combination dame, "bad." But almost all other combinations involving the character ta also represent something negative. So, in English, this priest might be called "Wretched Gemstone" or "Jewel-Poverty"—depending on how you look at it, it's not exactly a name that commands respect. Monks often like this excessive modesty.

Probably no one has ever taken the trouble to read this text. The text panels are 130 cm long, and the lines are set very close together. You can only read it if you squat down in front of the hanging scroll for the lower part. Getting to the beginning of the next line after getting up is problematic...

But how did the monk write? Long formats were usually painted on the floor, but then the scribe had to change position at least four times to write a single line...

So how should we understand this calligraphy? The monk probably didn't intend to communicate effectively. He wrote this account for himself, and although the writing style is very elegant and fluid, he certainly wanted to take his time—he didn't want to rush into writing his precious experiences. The extremely laborious process of writing was probably intended to make him feel the depth of his experiences; and at the end, the entire journey was to be visible as a triptych on a wall—but actually only understandable to him, not to everyone.

So, we're also dealing with a meta-language here: The brushwork is very lively – phases of darker drawings are followed by phases of thin ink. This creates a fascinating, delicate fabric of great textural richness. Only by allowing this to sink in can we, too, experience something of the profound pleasure this monk experienced on his pilgrimage.