Shumpo Soki

Shumpo Soki (春浦宗熙, 1409 - January 14, 1498) was a Japanese visual artist and a poet, who was a disciple of the Daitokuji priest Yoso Soi. Quotes My sword leans against the sky.With its polished blade I'll beheadThe Buddha and all of his saints.Let the lightning strike where it will. Japanese Death Poems. Compiled by Yoel Hoffmann. 1986. p. 115. Cited in: Joseph Reppen. Why I Became a Psychotherapist. 1998. p. 308 At times I supported the sky, at times the earth;At times I turned into a dragon, at times to a snake.I wandered at will through the cycles of life and of death.All the fathers of our faith I took into my mouth.I give as I will and I take as I will. I slash the leopard with my teeth;My spirit smashes mountains. Japanese Death Poems. Compiled by Yoel Hoffmann. 2000. ISBN 978-0-8048-3179-6 No single bone in my body is holy -It is but an ash heap of stinking bones.Dig a deep hole and there bury these remainsThus, not a grain of dust will stainThe green mountains. Japanese Death Poems. Compiled by Yoel Hoffmann. 2000. ISBN 978-0-8048-3179-6 Quotes about Shunpo Soki was a Zen priest of the Rinzai sect. A disciple of the Daitokuji priest Yoso Soi (1376-1458), Shunpo became the fortieth abbot of Daitokuji and was famous for his efforts in reconstructing the temple in the aftermath of the devastation of the Ōnin War (1467-77). The few examples of Shunpo's calligraphy that survive reveal tenacious brushwork, the use of very black ink, and a sensitivity that somehow produces the sensation of a relaxed space in the interior of each character, a quality not always found in the works of professional calligraphers. Although they lack a high level of technical skill, Shunpo's brushstrokes are laid down tnoughtfully and result in a highly original style, allowing the viewer to imagine the calligrapher breathing as he brushes the characters on the paper. Shunpo's calligraphy is best appreciated not one character at a time, when minute technical faults might be noted, but in units of several characters or even one column at a time; when viewed in this way, the brushwork conveys a lyrical quality and even gives rise to melancholy feelings. Miyeko Murase, ‎Sylvan Barnet, The Written Image: Japanese Calligraphy and Painting from the Sylvan Barnet and William Burto Collection ‎Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.) - 2002. External links Q116482757 Category:Poets from Japan Category:1409 births Category:1498 deaths Category:Zen Buddhist monks Category:Buddhists from Japan Category:Articles with no corresponding English Wikipedia article