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Seikaku Takagi | |
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| Born | Ikuta Takagi (Japanese: 高木郁太) (1923-07-12)July 12, 1923 |
| Died | February 24, 2017(2017-02-24) (aged 93) |
| Education | Okayama Prefectural Takahashi High School |
| Alma mater | Okayama Prefectural Takahashi High School |
| Known for | Japanese calligrapher |
| Style | Chōyō Calligraphy Association |
| Movement | 'Kana' Calligraphy |
| Children | Seiu Takaki |
| Awards | Japan Art Academy Prize 4th Order of the Rising Sun Dark Blue Ribbon Medal Person of Cultural Merit Order of Culture Prime Minister's Award in JPN Junior Third Rank |
Seikaku Takagi (Japanese:高木 聖鶴,Hepburn:Takagi Seikaku; July 12, 1923 (Taishō 12)– February 24, 2017 (Heisei 29)[1]), was a Japanesecalligrapher. He was male and held the rank ofJunior Third Rank (Jūsanmi) and was awarded theOrder of Culture. His real name wasIkuta Takagi (高木 郁太,Takagi Ikuta).[2]
He served as the president of the Chōyō Calligraphy Association, advisor to theJapan Fine Arts Exhibition (a public-interest incorporated association), and senior advisor to the Japanese Calligraphy Institute. He was also the highest advisor to theYomiuri Calligraphy Association and was recognized as aPerson of Cultural Merit. Throughout his career, he held many important positions, including director of the Japan Calligraphy Institute, director and permanent general affairs officer of the Yomiuri Calligraphy Association, and executive director of the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition (a public-interest incorporated association). He also served as a councilor of the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition.[3]
Born in 1923 inSōja City,Okayama Prefecture,[2] Seikaku Takagi later enrolled in theformer Okayama Prefectural Takahashi Junior High School (nowOkayama Prefectural Takahashi High School).[4] Among his classmates wasMakoto Munemori, an authority onenvironmental chemistry who later became an emeritus professor atOsaka Prefecture University. After graduating from the school, Takagi worked at a company and, just before the end ofWorld War II, served for over a year in the military in Tokyo before returning to his hometown.[5]
After the war, he turned to calligraphy as a lifelong pursuit of learning. While working for 20 years at his father's securities firm, he studied under the calligrapher Tsurunobu Uchida in 1947. He researched ancient Chinese and Japanese calligraphy, and he was praised for establishing a modern style that infused deep emotion, particularly as a practitioner ofkana calligraphy.
Under the guidance of Tsurunobu Uchida, Seikaku Takagi studied classical calligraphy and established his own distinctive style, focusing primarily onkana script. He inherited the Chōyō Calligraphy Association, founded by Uchida, and served as its president for many years.In 1982, he became a member of the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition (Nitten), and in 1991, he was awarded the Prime Minister's Award at the same exhibition. Further recognition followed in 1995 when he received the Japan Art Academy Prize, and in 2006, he was selected as aPerson of Cultural Merit. Later, he was awarded the prestigiousOrder of Culture.[2][6]
Upon being named a Person of Cultural Merit in 2006, he remarked:[6]
"Kana calligraphy is not merely about conveying meaning through characters; it is an art form that explores sculptural beauty, much like painting. Ink and brush are integral to Japanese culture. Calligraphy is everything to me, and I will devote myself fully to leaving behind great works for future generations."
Even in his later years, he remained active in the calligraphy world, serving as an advisor to the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, as well as the highest advisor to both the Japanese Calligraphy Institute and the Yomiuri Calligraphy Association.[6]
In February 2017, Seikaku Takagi died at a hospital inKurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture.[6]
Seikaku Takagi had a deep connection withYomiuri Shimbun, which evaluated his work as follows:
*"As a calligrapher, Takagi studied ancient Japanese and Chinese calligraphy, pursuing elegance and refinement in kana script. He established his own distinctive style and made significant contributions to the development of the calligraphy world. He was first selected for the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition (Nitten) in 1950. From 1975, he served as a director of the Japanese Calligraphy Institute, and from 1984, he became a director of the Yomiuri Calligraphy Association, greatly contributing to the advancement of Japanese calligraphy.
▼ Based in Okayama, he studied under Tsurunobu Uchida, the founder of the Chōyō Calligraphy Association. Uchida’s teacher was Seikū Andō, a prominent figure in kana calligraphy, and Takagi fully mastered the calligraphic style of theMotonaga-bon Kokinshū, which was passed down from Seikū. He then delved into the world of ancient calligraphy, studying works such as theIchijō Sesshō-shū,Kōya-gire,Hari-gire, andKōgishi-gire, thereby capturing the elegance of the Heian court.
▼ He became one of the leading figures in modern kana calligraphy, in part because he also pioneered new frontiers in large-character kana calligraphy, a style that postwar kana calligraphers sought to develop."*
—Yomiuri Shimbun, Yomiuri Biographical Database
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