Azi Jinwu

CHINA, Guangdong, Guangzhou; Ming to Qing dynasty

Azi Jinwu, whose original family name was Wan, was an accomplished calligrapher, poet, and Chan master. He renounced at age 16, and became the first disciple of Tianran Hanshi, the famed monk of the Lingnan school. His written works include the 25-fascicle Collection of Guangxuantai and Sayings of Chan Master Aziwu.
His calligraphic works display powerful strokes that are styled after Li Yong of the Tang dynasty (618–907). Another calligrapher, Mai Huasan, praised his writing as “Uniquely styled, resembling the classics of ancient scholars, and having the stele style of Li Sixun.” His works include Song of the White Lotus, kept at the Ho’s Calligraphy Foundation in Taipei, Taiwan; and Wonders of Ink, kept at the Shandong Provincial Museum in Jinan. Several of his pieces in running script are collected by various Chinese museums.