Monk Dosen

JAPAN; Edo period

This unusual seal, notable for its clean lines and refined aesthetic, is comprised of four characters evenly spaced within a square format. Without adopting the right-angled structure commonly present in Han style seals, the piece retains a sense of individuality. In contrast to the even and steady formation of the bottom two characters, the radicals representing “water” in the top two characters are presented as three arcs that curve in alternating directions; this unique feature endows the lines with rhythmical flow and affords the entire piece a peculiar charm.
Ko Fuyo was originally named Minamoto and was also known as Itsuki. He was a painter and seal engraver who advocated the study of ancient Chinese seals in Japan. As his artistic philosophies grew in influence, he pioneered the “Fuyo” or “Kotai” (old style) school, which later became one of the prominent schools of seal engraving in Japan.