It is getting a little cooler and in this somewhat relieved feeling, I thought I would practice another task on one page from an old model book. “I live with flowers in my heart.”
“Flowers in the heart” “Flowers of the heart” These were my teacher’s favorite expressions.
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少し涼しくなって、ちょっとほっとした気分の中で、また古いお手本の１ページを練習しました。「心に花を持って生きる」
「心に花」「心の花」先生がお好きだった言葉です。
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“May the joy of calligraphy be in your daily life.” I once heard it was my teacher’s ideal of calligraphy, which made me continue practicing calligraphy for a long time, with an ultimate goal of spreading this art and culture to the whole world. However, recalling old days, I realized that one of his daughters told me about this principle but not directly from my teacher or his wife.
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「暮らしの中に書の楽しみを」これが我が師の書への思いだと聞いて、それならば世界中にその先生の価値観を広めようと頑張ってきました。でも、考えてみるとそれは先生の娘さんの一人に伺ったことで、先生からも奥さまからも直接には聞いていませんでした。
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The photo I posted last time showed one of the tasks for the teacher’s qualification test I took some forty years ago which I happened to find when cleaning my house. While the previous one was print or standard style, this one is semi-cursive or semi-standard style, which is suitable for writing fast and is most often used practically.
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先日投稿した写真は、家を片付けていたら出てきた40年ほど前に受けた師範傳試験の課題のうち漢字楷書。これは同じものの行書です。行書は早く書けるので、最も多く実際に使われます。
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“Kindness beautifies the world of flesh”. This is not my original work. Again, I copied one page from the book of models I inherited from my teacher. For, I thought this one is a good, strong comment.
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「親切は人の世を美しくする」これは私のオリジナルではありません。またしても、師から受け継いだ折手本の中から選んだものです。いい言葉だと思ったからです。
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These days we have been having a terrible heat again, which makes me very tired. A little while ago, we had a number of days of dreadful, heavy rainfall. When the weather is severe in any way, it is somewhat comfortable to practice with my teacher’s calligraphy that I have been very familiar with since childhood.
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このところ暑さがぶり返してしんどい日々です。先日は豪雨の日が何日も続きました。どうも過酷な天気のときには幼い頃から慣れ親しんでいる師の書を習うのがいいです。
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As I wrote many times before …when I cleaned my house … this time I found a number of models my first teacher gave me years ago. And this time, they are the size of a paper scroll designed for a common Japanese style room. I think they were given to me to prepare for the examination to be qualified as a calligraphy teacher, probably around forty years ago. I am certain not many people now are fortunate enough to possess something as treasurable as these. I thought I had been and will be incredibly fortunate.
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例によって、家を片付けていたら・・・今度は何枚も半切のお手本が出てきました。多分40年ぐらい前に師範の試験を受けるときの参考のためのくださったお手本だったと思われますが、このような貴重なものを持っている人はもうそれほど多くは残っていないと思います。自分はどこまでもラッキーなのだと思いました。
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We haven’t enjoyed calligraphy lessons in our usual classrooms since February last year. My present teacher told us her students that we should learn calligraphy copying especially at times like this. However, I just can’t stop myself turning to my first teacher’s calligraphy that has been so familiar to me since my early childhood rather than the classics respected by all the calligraphy learners of all ages and cultures.
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去年2月からお教室でのお稽古が叶いませんが、今の先生は、こういう時期にこそ臨書することをしっかり学びなさいとおっしゃいます。私はどうしても皆から長く尊ばれている古典よりも、幼い頃から親しんだ初めの先生の書に気持ちが向いてしまいます。
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While I was trying to tidy up my house, I found this old folding fan of festive kind, which my teacher gave to us his students to commemorate his eighty-eighth birthday. Now I am remembering that he and his wife used to give us his students commemorative gifts on happy occasions; and after various events they always invited all his students to a party at a good restaurant to reward our services.
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家を片付けていると、このお祝いの扇子が出てきました。先生がご自分の米寿のお祝いに皆に配ってくださったものです。今思い出すのは、先生と奥さまは何かのお祝いのときにはいつもお弟子に記念のお品をくださったし、何かのイベントの後には必ずいい料亭でご苦労さん会を催して、お弟子たちを招待してくださったということです。
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Since this is the first day of the month, I thought I would resume practicing with the old book of models my teacher gave me many years ago. What is amazing about this book is; any page makes one piece of art; and what is more, the whole book makes a beautiful art object.
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今日はお一日だし、また昔のお手本のお稽古に戻ろうと思いました。先生のお手本は、どのページを見てもそこだけで一つの見事な作品になるし、全体でも立派な作品として成立します。
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The calligraphy on this stone monument was done by my teacher. Probably, it is his calligraphy at his most energetic days. I am sure those who know me have seen it at least once or twice.
However, you can’t any comment that it was done by Akiyama Kodo 秋山公道 anywhere on and around the monument. I just wonder if there remains a record in the Kyoto Prefectural Office about their asking him for his calligraphy here and their paying rewards to him.
There are many advantages of practicing under an esteemed calligrapher, and this is the one, that is, you can say “Hello!” to your teacher quite easily even while taking a walk.
Incidentally, today, July 3rd is his death anniversary.
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この石碑の字は私の師匠によるものです。力強くて、多分一番お元気だった頃の字だと思われます。私と知り合いの方々は、一度はこれをご覧になった方が多いのでは？ と思います。ただこの石碑とその周辺のどこにも『秋山公道揮毫』と記されていません。府庁のどこかにこの揮毫を秋山公道に依頼して、いくらいくらの謝金を支払ったという記録が残っているかしら？ と思うのです。
高名な書家に師事することの利点は数多くありますが、このように、散歩の途中でもお気軽にご挨拶ができる、というのも挙げられます。
ちなみに、今日7月3日は先生の祥月命日です。
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