Konoe Iehiro

JAPAN, Kyoto; Edo period

Konoe Iehiro was a court official, calligrapher, and monk who was known by his alias and was later known by his Dharma name of Shinkaku. He was also known as Yorakuin. He was appointed to various official positions in the imperial court until 1725 when he renounced to become a monk. Konoe was known to be highly erudite and adept in poetry, calligraphy, ink painting, the Japanese tea ceremony, and flower arrangement.
His unique calligraphy was modeled after the Sanmyakuin school, and incorporated the styles of the Kamo clan, Kukai, and Ono no Michikaze. Konoe produced numerous copies of ancient Chinese steles and rewrote them in Japanese Kanji and Kana. He was diligent in the study of the calligraphic styles and was recognized as one of the many well-known Kana script calligraphers of the Edo period.
His works include Compilation of Yorakuin’s Calligraphy, which is comprised of 225 pieces of calligraphy, now kept at the Yomei Bunko Foundation in Kyoto; and Stele of Master Gaoquan and the horizontal inscribed board reading Posthumous Title National Master Daien Eko in Bukkokuzenji Temple. In addition, his copy of the Heart Sutra is now kept at Byodoin Temple in Kyoto, and his Diamond Sutra Postscript is kept at the Yomei Bunko Foundation in Kyoto.