Shining Forth: An Exhibition of Works by Chinese Artists in Japan at NTHU

2022.06.02

At the beginning of this year, the Japanese royal family bestowed a posthumous title on Master Yinyuan Longqi (Japanese: Ingen Ryūki), an important figure in Buddhism who played a prominent role in cultural exchanges between China and Japan during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. On June 2, Professor Yang Rur-bin(楊儒賓)of the Graduate Institute of Philosophy and his wife, Professor Fang Sheng-ping(方聖平)of the Center for General Education, donated their personal collection of 177 paintings and works of calligraphy by Yinyuan to the NTHU Museum, which is scheduled to be completed next year.

Prof. Yang said that the significance of the number 177 is that this year National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan celebrated its 111th anniversary and its 66th anniversary in Taiwan as NTHU (111 + 66 = 177).

The donation ceremony was held on the morning of June 2 at the Idea Hub in the Main Library. During the ceremony, NTHU president W. John Kao said that cultural relics are a kind of dialogue, which allow us to travel through time and space, providing insight into the past and present, and helping us to envision what the future has in store. He added, “The future of Tsing Hua University lies in the integration of the humanities, arts, and sciences.”

President Kao said that, rather than being put in storage only to gather dust, the Yinyuan collection will be easily available to researchers, the general public, and all who know how to see the future by looking into the past.

Also in attendance was former NTHU president Chen Lih-juann, who said that Prof. Yang used his modest salary and his expert knowledge to purchase a large number of cultural relics, commenting, “We all earn a salary, but Prof. Yang is the only person I’ve ever heard of who has returned to NTHU everything he’s earned, plus a whole lot more.” As for Professor Fang, she has a passion for nature conservation, and she provided the funding to establish the Tsing Hua Butterfly Garden. In this way, they embody the social commitment found in the second part of the Tsing Hua University motto.

Also in attendance was Master Fazang, abbot of Wanfo Temple in Nanxi, Tainan. He said that while in college he was initiated into Buddhism by Master Guangqin, who was a leading exponent in Taiwan of the Obaku school of Zen in Japan, and that one of the more interesting items in Prof. Yang’s collection is a letter written by one of Guangqin’s disciples. The letter, which was sent to the police, concerns the embezzlement of temple property by a disciple.

From amongst the collection, Prof. Yang has selected 32 pieces of calligraphy, paintings, handwritten notes, long scrolls, etc., for inclusion in an exhibition titled “A Bridge Over Stormy Seas---Calligraphy and Paintings by Overseas Chinese in Japan,” to be held in the gallery on the first floor of the Main Library.

Prof. Yang explained that the title of the exhibition refers to the fact that the numerous conflicts which have occurred between China and Japan in modern times have never completely cut off the ongoing cultural exchanges between the two nations in areas such as religion, scholarship, art, architecture, cuisine, medicine, calligraphy, and music. He also pointed out that the exhibition is presented through the lens of culture, rather than geopolitics.

Prof. Yang said that most of the calligraphy in the exhibition is by Yinyuan, who came to Japan in 1654 in one of Zheng Chenggong's ships, where he propagated the Dharma and eventually established the Obaku sect of Zen Buddhism. He was also the founder of Senchado, one of the main tea ceremony traditions in Japan. In light of his enduring influence on Japanese culture, in February of this year the Emperor of Japan conferred on him the posthumous title Master Yantong---the seventh time he has been thus honored, the previous time being in 1972, when Emperor Showa conferred on him the posthumous title Master Huaguang.

Amongst the collection is a horizontal scroll of calligraphy by Yinyuan, which was purchased 20 years ago by Prof. Yang from an antique shop in Nagoya, Japan. The piece consists of the three characters tan hua hui, plus his inscription “Composed by the old monk Yinyuan,” all written in a smooth and flowing style exuding a palpable sense of natural spontaneity.

Also procured by Prof. Yang in Japan, and included in the exhibition, is a commentary by the noted Confucian scholar Zhu Shunshui in the form of a horizontal scroll. Zhu was a Ming loyalist who took refuge in Japan, where he eventually became a teacher of Tokugawa Mitsukuni, a powerful magnate of the Mito domain and prototype for a famous story about the adventures of a feudal lord who roamed about incognito.

Prof. Yang added that Zhu also introduced various Chinese craft and architectural techniques to Japan, which had a significant impact on the development of Japanese society and culture, and even influenced the Meiji Restoration. He also pointed out that the line in the scroll that reads junzi zhuangjing ziqiang may have had a bearing on the formulation of the Tsing Hua motto, “Self-discipline and social commitment.”

Another interesting piece in the exhibition is “Guiqu laixi,” a hand scroll from the Edo period. It was composed by the noted calligrapher Fukami Gentai, and includes corrections written by his teacher, the Chinese Buddhist monk Duli.

Yang (right) and Kao holding one of the scrolls in the collection.

Kao (left) presenting Yang with a certificate of appreciation.

Kao thanking Yang for his generous donation.

Chen Lih-juann(陳力俊) making a humorous comment about Yang’s extraordinary generosity.

Amongst the attendees was Master Fazang(法藏法師), abbot of Wanfo Monastery in Tainan.

The exhibition is being curated by Hsieh Hsiao-chin(謝小芩), director of the Museum.

Yang providing some background on Yinyuan’s “Tan hua hui.”

Yang introducing the scroll “Zhuang.”

Yang with the piece “Guiqu laixi,” a hand scroll from the Edo period.

Yinyuan’s “Tan hua hui.”

“Guiqu laixi,” a hand scroll from the Edo period, was composed by the noted calligrapher Fukami Gentai, and includes corrections written by his teacher, the Chinese Buddhist monk Duli.

The line in the scroll “Zhuang” that reads junzi zhuangjing ziqiang may have had a bearing on the formulation of the Tsing Hua motto, “Self-discipline and social commitment.”

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