Le’an: Stele of Master Gen at Maming Temple

CHINA, Shandong, Guangrao; Northern Wei dynasty

This stele is located in Le’an (present day Guangrao, Shandong) and contains an inscription comprised of 22 lines with 30 characters each. It was unfortunately broken into three parts during the Qing dynasty (1644–1911). A title across the top reads, “Maming Temple,” and a lower line, of which the last two characters are illegible, states, “Tombstone of the Late Master Gen from the Northern Wei Dynasty.” The full inscription records that Master Gen, an eminent monk who nurtured many disciples in the Dharma and meditation, founded the temple.
The calligraphy is compact and densely configured, which is stylistically distinctive among Northern Wei steles. Characters are slightly angled with the left side dipping lower than the right, which render the horizontal strokes in an intriguing manner. Brushwork is rich and thick, and corners are squared. Rows of characters are spaced amply apart, and there is fluency and energy in the execution of each. Yang Shoujing, a Qing dynasty historian, remarked, “Most Northern Wei steles are written in clerical script with thin characters. It is rare for a stele to possess such charm, a characteristic which makes this a unique and liberal piece for its time.”