中村泰士
なかむら やすひと
Kantei-ryū, Yose-moji, Edo-moji
Yose-moji originated from the typeface used on flyers for yose (traditional comedy venues) in the late Edo period. Later, hand-printed woodblock flyers were introduced. Although it was originally called “bira-ji” (flyer script), Tachibana Ukon coined the more intuitive term “yose-moji,” which has been passed down to the present day.Kantei-ryu calligraphy is used in Kabuki. Its founder was Okazakiya Kanroku, a calligrapher of the Oie school, and it is said to have originated from a signboard he created in 1778 (An’ei 8) for a Torii-school painted signboard.
The term “Edo-moji” was originally coined by the “Tōto Nōsatsu Mutsumi”—an association dedicated to Senja-fuda (temple votive tablets) that continues the Edo tradition to this day—to refer to the script used on such tablets. However, the term spread through subsequent scholarly works and has now come to serve as a general term for decorative scripts originating in Edo.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
About the Craftsman
Mr. Nakamura specializes in three types of Edo-period decorative calligraphy collectively known as “Edo-moji”: Kantei-ryu, Yose-moji, and Edo-moji.He trained in Yose-moji under Tachibana Ukon, the head of the Tachibana-ryu school—which traces its lineage back to “Bira-Tatsu”—and was given the pen name “Tachibana Ukitsu.”
For Kantei-ryu calligraphy, he studied under the 2nd-generation Arai Sanrei (Ueno Shokichi, a former holder of Arakawa Ward’s Designated Intangible Cultural Property), and in 1994, he was granted the name “Arai Sanri,” succeeding the Sanrei Kantei-ryu tradition.
In addition to creating calligraphy for yose and kabuki playbills and for the Senja-fuda (thousand-shrine talismans) of the Tōto Nōsatsu Mutsumi association, Mr. Nakamura also created the sunshade curtain at the Arakawa Furusato Cultural Center and the “Senja-fuda stickers,” museum merchandise sold at the Arakawa Traditional Crafts Gallery.
He is also dedicated to training successors through the Arakawa Master Craftsman Development Program.
Achievements
- Designated as a Preserver of Arakawa Ward’s Registered Intangible Cultural Properties in Fiscal Year 2002
Contact Us
- Address: 5-25-5 Higashi-Nippori, Arakawa Ward
- Hours: 10:30 AM–6:30 PM (Closed on Sundays and national holidays)
- Phone: 03-3801-6799
- Fax: 03-3801-4946
- Homepage: Daio Planning Co., Ltd.