Calligraphy Classics Series Vol. 29: Poems by Li Jiong / Emperor Saga

A calligraphy piece by Emperor Saga (786-842), considered one of the "Three Great Calligraphers of the Heian Period." This is a surviving scroll of poetry by Li Kyo (a Chinese poet from the Tang Dynasty). Written in semi-cursive and running script, the brush strokes are kept taut like a master of kana, without any careless strokes. The calligraphy is similar to that of the Chinese Ouyang Xun, and is full of tension, with careful attention paid to every stroke. It is also known as "Miscellaneous Poems by Li Kyo" and "Fragments of a Hundred Poems by Li Kyo."