Hanging scroll calligraphy by Yamaoka Tesshū (1836-1888) - Paper - "Tosho hitori tanoshimu" 図書独娯 (Take solitary pleasure in books)- Japan - Meiji period (1868-1912)

Hanging scroll calligraphy by Yamaoka Tesshū (1836-1888) - Paper - "Tosho hitori tanoshimu" 図書独娯 (Take solitary pleasure in books) - Japan - Meiji period (1868-1912) "Tosho hitori tanoshimu" 図書独娯 (Take solitary pleasure in books) Yamaoka Tesshū (1836-1888) Ink on paper, set on silk. 122 x 41. 5 cm (187 x 53. 5 cm) . Yamaoka Tesshū is a samurai from the Bakumatsu period (1853-1868) who played an important role in the Meiji restoration. He is the founder of the Itto Shoden Muto-ryu fencing school. After serving the Emperor, and while studying kendo, he attained enlightenment during a meditation session. From that moment, he devoted his life to a dojo dedicated to "swordless" combat: the stage in which a samurai realizes that there is no enemy and that only purity of style is important. The title of the work is taken from a poem by Zhen Shan Min, a Chinese scholar from the late Song Dynasty (960-1279) .