I Meet a China Hand in Japan

I received an invitation from Japan in June， 2010. It was from Shimura Myouseki， a Japanese master calligrapher and engraver， and it was sent to the address of the former editorial office of Hangzhou Daily in another part of downtown Hangzhou. This invitation reminded me of my working as a culture reporter for Hangzhou Daily in the 1990s. It was during that period that I interviewed him， a celebrated engraver when he was holding a solo exhibition at Xiling Engravers Association on the West Lake in Hangzhou. The invitation said that his one-man exhibition would be held at Japan Pavilion at Shanghai World Expo from May to October 2010.

As I was most reluctant to join the crowds and the hustle and bustle at the expo and therefore decided not to visit the expo， I wrote the master a reply saying that I would be visiting Japan and attending a literary forum in Kitakyushu later in 2010. I suggested in the letter that we could probably meet there.

In the early December 2010， I as a member of China Writers Delegation attended a literary forum on East Asia literature of China， Japan and Korea. During the forum， I met with this old friend of mine at a hotel lobby. Master Shimura had gray hair， but his smile was as sincere as 16 years before. His youngest son drove us to visit a statue of Wu Changshuo， a famed Chinese artist， and a pavilion in celebration of the establishment of the sister relations between Dalian City of China and Kitakyushu City. After the visit， we went to his home.

A scroll of inscription that hung in the sitting room was written by Master Sha Menghai， a famed calligrapher from Zhejiang Province. Master Shimura lit a stick of incense， closed his eyes and said a silent prayer. We learned that he had lost his elder son four years before. The son had a passion for Chinese culture. He studied in two universities in Shanghai and had a bike tour across China. The prayer was meant to tell his son that they were having Chinese guests at home.

As soon as we sat down in the study， Mr. Shimura’s wife and daughter served tea and coffee. The bookshelves in his study were full of books on Chinese culture. The walls were full of Chinese inscriptions and paintings. Though we do not speak the same language， we were able to communicate with each other with the Chinese characters. The Japanese language borrowed a large number of Chinese characters in ancient times to help make itself function better. The master started the conversation by jotting down “1994， dream of West Lake， media coverage.” To my surprise， he remembered the occasion and event of our first encounter.

Shimura Myouseki first visited China in 1972 as a member of a Japan Youth Delegation. The young Japanese met with Chinese premier Zhou Enlai. Since then Shimura Myouseki has been dedicated to the Sino-Japan friendship and cultural exchanges between the two countries. In 2008， he received White Magnolia Award issued by Shanghai Municipal People’s Government for his contributions to cultural exchanges between the two countries. As an artist， he has held more than 120 solo exhibitions of his calligraphy and engraving in China. This is quite a record， for few Chinese calligraphers or engravers have had so many individual exhibitions.

Master Shimura Myouseki’s engravings highlight a combination of a traditional Chinese engraving touch and modern elements of western painting. His exhibits are enlarged copies of his original engravings. The copies have additional colors and decorations. The distinct style makes his engraved calligraphy highly appreciated at home and abroad.

I am deeply impressed by the master’s dedication to the art and his strong bond with China and Chinese culture.

In 2008， he donated a series of engraving creations in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the China-Japan Peace and Friendship Treaty and of Beijing Olympic Games. He held a special exhibition at China Art Gallery to display his latest engraving works. He donated 200，000 Japanese yen to the earthquake victims in Wenchuan， Sichuan Province.

In 2010， he created a series of engravings for the Japan Pavilion at Shanghai World Expo. And in September 2010 alone， he held two exhibitions in Shanghai. The first exhibition was held at Cheng Shifa Museum in Songjiang， Shanghai. He donated a calligraphic artwork by Zhu Shunshui of the Ming Dynasty and a couplet written by Cheng Shifa in his evening years. The two pieces had been in Shimura’s collection for years. At Wu Changshuo Museum located in downtown Shanghai， Shimura held an exhibition to pay his respects to Wu and display his creative engravings.

I learned from Shimura that he is to hold an individual exhibition at Liangzhu Museum in northern suburb of Hangzhou from July to September 1911. The exhibition is designed to reciprocate the kindness and care of the Chinese people over the past 40 years.

Waving goodbye to Shimura and his family， I looked back at the house. In front of the house towered a maple tree in brilliant colors. Shimura Myouseki stood motionlessly like a stone stamp: pure， charming and soundless.□