〈唐招提寺勅額〉考

抄録

  This study examines and compares the views of previous studies on the calligraphy of the “Imperial Inscription of Toshodaiji Temple” in Toshodaiji Temple, Nara, Japan, with the Ji Wang shengjiao xu script and other examples of calligraphy from the Tang and Nara periods, to clarify the characteristics of its style and brushwork. As a result, it was confirmed once again that the calligraphy of the “Imperial Inscription of Toshodaiji Temple” is based on the style of Wang Xizhi, particularly in the letterforms and brushstrokes found in the “Imperial Inscription of Toshodaiji Temple”.

  However, a closer examination of the letterforms and brushstrokes reveals that the inscriptions in the “Imperial Inscription of Toshodaiji Temple” were not assembled from characters found in the Ji Wang shengjiao xu or other examples of Wang Xizhi's work, nor were they created by combining radicals. Additionally, it was found that the technique used in the inscription was simplified and not as advanced as that used in the Ji Wang shengjiao xu script.

  The author of the “Imperial Inscription of Toshodaiji Temple” is said to be Emperor Kohken, who was already an ex-emperor, or emperor emerita, the highest authority in effect, when Toshodaiji Temple applied for the grant of the official inscription. For Toshodaiji Temple, which was seeking designation as a Jogakuji Temple, officially protected private temples, the inscription executed by the emperor was likely the most effective means of demonstrating its connection to state authority, and the Wang Xizhi style of calligraphy, which would have been accepted as a symbol of China at the time, would have also served as a straightforward representation of Toshodaiji Temple's character, given that the temple was founded by Ganjin, a Buddhist monk who journeyed to Japan.