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a l i z a r i n R E D the red light district |
Friday 15 February 2008
Looking at works of calligraphy have always calmed me and I couldn't really explain why. Until I chanced upon The Fourth Treasure, a book by Todd Shimoda. It has been lying around my house for around two years and had I known it was going to be an enchanting read, I would've finished it a long time ago. Hehe Anyway, it tells us of a love story that spans three generations, cultures and traditions. It starts in present day San Francisco when Kiichi Shimano, sensei of the Zenzen school of Calligraphy, suffers a massive stroke that renders him incapable of speech and writing. His calligraphy, although still pleasing to the eyes, no longer makes any sense that even his best student, Gozen, cannot comprehend it. The sensei's case then attracts the attention of Tina Suzuki, a neuroscience student from Berkeley, prompting her to research about the sensei's condition. This, however, is not well-received by her mother Hanako, who studied calligraphy under the sensei in Japan years ago and was actually involved in an affair with him then. Ah, serendipity... :) Shimoda makes use of flashbacks all throughout the story, making it a captivating read. He jumps back and forth from present to past, when Shimano was still one of the most respected calligraphers in Kyoto and the head of the prestigious Daizen School. He also enchants us with the history of the potent Daizen Inkstone, which Shimano secretly took with him when he followed Hanako all the way to San Francisco. It gives us insight on the history of Calligraphy, past Daizen masters, and how the Daizen Inkstone came about. The book, with its captivating tale, is also laden with the sensei's beautifully illustrated Japanese calligraphy and factoids of Tina's studies of the brain. It makes for an unusually satisfying literary experience. :) Labels: books
posted by Anonymous @ 10:28 1 Comments:
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likewise here. i luv jap calligraphy. as in OA level. i bought couple of brushes pa nga e! haha! i need to get my hands on this book. asap!