Artist: Zhao Puchu

Date: Modern

Material: Ink on paper

• Object Type：
  • CALLIGRAPHY
• Location：
  • Zhao Puchu Gallery
• Tag：
  • poem gift fountain pen running script hanging scroll zhao puchu modern ink paper

This poem was composed by the seventy-one-year-old Zhao Puchu in September 1977. In it, he thanks Norio Shirato, Director of the Japan-China Cultural Exchange Association, for the gift of a gold-nib fountain pen. Zhao wrote that 'the thoughtful gift sent from ten thousand miles away attests to a true heart', and noted that the Heart Sutra, 'translated by Master Xuanzang' and 'engraved on the pen barrel', 'conveys a weighty responsibility'. He also said, 'Where wisdom broth and mystic wine meet for exchange, I wish to have a detailed discussion with you gentlemen.' The poem was presented to Mr Kenzo Nakashima, who was President of the Japan-China Cultural Exchange Association at the time, as well as to the other members of the delegation. This work features steady brushwork and a meticulous composition that convey a mood of dignified composure.