Kakemono Heart Sutra in Flowing Cursive Script

Another example of classical sutra calligraphy is shown in this hanging scroll, which reproduces the entire text of the Heart Sutra in even, practiced handwriting. The black ink characters are carefully arranged in vertical columns, so that the viewer's eye moves as if by itself from right to left across the sheet. At the end of the columns are the calligrapher's signature and red seal as a personal touch.

The work is executed on paper and was created in the Shôwa period. The jikusaki is made of metal, a technical detail that lends the otherwise plain hanging scroll a slightly cooler, clear note and distinguishes it from other pieces mounted with wood or bone. Sutra calligraphies like this one were traditionally created both out of religious devotion and as an independent art form.

Anyone with an enthusiasm for Japanese calligraphy, Buddhist text culture, or simply the meditative effect of even lines of script will find in this hanging scroll a fitting and timeless collector's piece for the living space or a place of devotion.