Shodo Daisuki Episode 54
Shodo Daisuki Episode 54
Classical Copying Series vol.2 “Yu Shinan: Stele for the Confucian Temple” 【Calligraphy】
Shodo Daisuki – Episode 54
In this video, Shodo Daisuki “Shimauchi” talks about Yu Shinan’s “Stele for the Confucian Temple.”
Shodo Daisuki Episode 54 – Video Overview
This is the second installment in Shimauchi’s classical copying series. He explains and demonstrates copying from Yu Shinan (guseinan), one of the Three Great Masters of the Early Tang, focusing on the “Stele for the Confucian Temple.”
He then outlines Yu Shinan’s character: quiet in demeanor, highly devoted to scholarship, and a calligrapher who mastered the direct lineage of Wang Xizhi’s style. Favored by Emperor Taizong of the Tang, Yu is said to have taught the emperor himself.
The work copied here—the “Stele for the Confucian Temple”—records the excellence of Confucius’s teachings and the significance of rebuilding the temple, as no such shrine existed in the Tang capital of Chang’an. The stele is attributed to Yu Shinan at around age 71〜73. Although the original stone was lost in a late-Tang fire, rubbings are preserved at the Mitsui Memorial Museum in Japan.
For this copying exercise, Shimauchi emphasizes: keeping every stroke in balanced proportion, drawing long lines (such as rightward sweeps) with a free, extended motion, and ensuring characters look open and bright in their counters. In practice, he first writes the character “正” to compare with Ouyang Xun’s “Jiuchenggong Liquan Inscription.” Ouyang’s verticals curve toward each other at the center (“back-leaning”), giving a cool, hard impression, whereas Yu Shinan’s verticals swell at the center (“forward-leaning”), creating a warmer feel. He then copies “書,” “之,” and “明,” describing each character’s challenges and the adjustments he makes.
Finally, Shimauchi reaffirms the value of understanding each classic’s features and the reason for engaging with it, expressing his intention to continue the classical copying series.
YouTube Shodo Daisuki – Episode 54
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