Calligraphy Classics Series Vol. 11: Longmen Twenty Rubbings (Upper)

Longmen, in China's Henan Province, is home to a large collection of masterpieces of regular script from the Northern Wei period, known as the Zōzō-ki (Records of the Statues of the Buddha). Unlike the neat and tidy regular script of the later Tang dynasty, these works possess a wild, powerful, and simple style. They are also popular as models for copies at modern calligraphy exhibitions. Twenty outstanding pieces of calligraphy from the Zōzō-ki (Records of the Statues of the Buddha) have been selected and are known as the "Twenty Pieces of Longmen Calligraphy." This series is divided into two volumes and features ten pieces, including classic masterpieces such as "Niu Zōzō-ki" and "Shiping Gong Zōzō-ki," as well as "Zheng Changyou Zōzō-ki," beloved for its childish style.

Table of Contents

Features of this series / What is copying classics? / About handwritten calligraphy / Record of the creation of a statue by Niu Zheng / Record of the creation of a statue by Yifu / Record of the creation of a statue by Gong Shiping / Record of the creation of a statue by Wang Yuan Xuan of Beihai / Record of the creation of a statue by Sima Jieboda / Record of the creation of a statue by Wei Lingzang Xue Fashao / Record of the creation of a statue by Empress Dowager Gao / Record of the creation of a statue by Yang Dayan / Record of the creation of a statue by Monk Daomaster / Record of the creation of a statue by Zheng Changyu / Commentary, Japanese translation, and outline / Modern Japanese translation / Commentary / Characteristics of the form / Character shape and stroke order: For creating calligraphy works (sections suitable for copying)