Tetsugen of Rinzai

JAPAN; Meiji period

This seal refers to Zen Master Tetsugen Doko of the Japanese Rinzai school. He is said to have vowed to carve the entire Tripitaka, which he fulfilled after ten long years of diligent work.
The bold and thick lines of the white characters are offset by the fine lines of negative space between them. A successful engraving is one which achieves an illusion of handwritten characters, as can be observed in this square seal. This well-formed piece adopts a symmetrical arrangement and solid lines to exude a classical style. However, as a whole, it is not as antiquated as the works of Wu Changshuo.
Known by his childhood name of Tokumatsu, and also known as Bokusen, Kawai Senro was an artist from Kyoto. Distinguished for his accomplishments in calligraphy, painting, and seal engraving, he is known to have studied under Wu Changshuo in China and became the first Japanese member of the Xiling Seal Art Society.