Line from a Poem by Li Bai
Seigan Sōi Japanese
As abbot of the prestigious Daitokuji Temple, Seigan Sōi saw himself as part of a distinguished lineage of Zen monk-calligraphers, including Ikkyū Sōjun and Motsurin Jōtō—both active in the fifteenth century. In Eighteen Principles of Tea, Seigan described the concepts behind wabi-cha, a tea practice in which unpretentious, rustic tea wares were favored. A tea master par excellence, he embraced the dictum of Sen no Rikyū (1522–1591) that “the most important ‘utensil’ in the tearoom was the hanging scroll”—in other words, a monk’s calligraphy.
Seigan’s quickly brushed line from a verse by the eighth-century poet Li Bai was no doubt intended for display during tea gatherings:
高殿坐幽人
In the lofty hall,
holy men sit in meditation.
—Trans. John T. Carpenter
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