The photo shows one of the many collaborated works with my late mother.  The two big letters “lily” were by my mother and I added my haiku about white lilies.  The flower shop I went to today didn’t carry white ones.  My entrance is filled with the strong, sweet fragrance characteristic of the flowers now.

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写真は数多く遺っている母との合作の一つで、母の大きな字「百合」と私の句です。お花屋さんには白百合がありませんでしたが、百合特有の強く甘い香りが玄関に溢れています。

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O, white lilies/

You forcefully bore/

Blue sky/

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A very good, longtime friend of mine came to offer some flowers to my late mother on her way home from an early-morning market.

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旧い友人が朝市帰りにお花を亡母に供えてくれました。

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Enjoyed choosing small potted/

Primroses/

At a morning bazaar/

Calligraphy and translation by Chio

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“Write your own poems” said my second calligraphy teacher.  Then immediately I thought I could never write haiku’s or tanka’s.  Later, however, I had a second thought that copyright issues will never bother me as far as I choose my own poems as motifs for my calligraphic works.

The first half of the piece is my tanka about my mother’s joy and gratitude when she saw the beauty of the Venus and the moon shining close to each other that we saw while taking a wheel chair walk in one evening; the latter half is my haiku which I wrote about my fancy afterward that we flew in the evening sky together.

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「自分で作った歌を書きなさい」と今の先生がおっしゃったのですが、初めはそんなこと出来ないと思いました。けれども、自作の句や歌なら著作権の心配をしなくて済むからいいと思うようになりました。

作品の前半は、夜の車椅子散歩のときに月と金星が接近しているときの美しさを母が喜び、感謝さえしたという短歌で、後半はそのまま空想の中で二人で夜空を跳んだという俳句です。

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〜Collaboration 道徳経〜

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I found this one, the very first collaboration with my late mother and myself while I was putting her calligraphy in order.  I asked her to write an Ensō and then I wrote a passage from Tao Te Ching on it.  It was for my first solo exhibition in 2009.

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亡母の書を整理していて、この母との共作の第一作目を見つけました。2009年に開いた初めての個展用に母に円相を書いてもらって、私が老子の道徳経から一節を重ねました。

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For the first time in months, I paid a visit to the hospital my late mother used to go and see her doctor, just wondering how many times I took her there.

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Small handbag used/

For hospital visit has/

A fan for autumn use/

Translation and calligraphy by Chio

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These old fans are what I did for my late mother.

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She used to love using these in bed before falling asleep.

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Woke up from a nap/

Saw late mother came/

To see me/

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Translation and calligraphy by Chio

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One of my valued, long-time friends from my previous work sent me some gifts for offering on my mom’s altar and myself.

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In the package, I found a couple of facial masks, essential goods these days with pink floral patterns, all-time favorite of mine.

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Mother left/

Showy pink at the bottom of/

Shrubby althaea/

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Translation and calligraphy by Chio

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