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Dear Community
For some time now I've been following the activities on your forum with great interest. Now I have a question: In a collection of important Japanese woodblock prints from the 17th/18th century you I found this calligraphy. I would like to know the background of this work (age, content, signature stamp). Can anyone help? Many thanks and best regards, Christian

Link :https://imgur.com/a/jyQOcMI

Signature,
現尚　-　Genshō
Leisure seal,　
神爽　- Shinsō　-　Spirit of refreshing

Inscriptions on the mounting,
前黒谷派笈長現尚大僧正之筆　-
Written by Oinaga Genshō　Former Great-priest of Kurodani School*
(*Kurodani is a school (moovement) belonging to the Jōdō (Pure Land) sect of Japanese Buddhism, with many temples all over Japan)

紫霊好請鑑　-　Found good by Shirei

Unfortunately the calligraphy is without dating.
I couldn't find the above priest's name neither in my name dictionaries nor on the net, I think it is from the 17-18 century.

With regards,
I.Nagy

Dear I. Nagy

Thank you for your very much appreciated translations and your deep thoughts about the calligraphy. Could you please — should you find time and pleasure — tell me, what is written on the three vertical lines? And is there any archive you have in mind where I could find out more about the artist? Last but definitively not least: You should set up a PayPal-button: I and for sure many others, would be very happy to donate something for your very appreciated comments! All my best from rainy Amsterdam, Christian

Dear Christian,
The situation is that the calligraphy is very individual and very difficult to decipher - so I can read only the first vertical line (from right) of the inscription. It reads as follows;

知らぬものはおらぬと悟りて、東成人.....
Shiranu mono wa oranu to satorite, Tōseijin (or Higashi Naruto).....
Realizing that I do not know anything, Tōseijin
(or Higashi Naruto.....

Whereas the name of the priest is not included in the name indexes (name dictionaries) containing the names of the registered (known famous) calligraphers - so he was only one in the line of great-priests of the Jōdō sect Kurodani school.
I searched for all the information in Japanese online -without much success, An other possible location could be the library of the Taishō (Buddhist) University in Tōkyō or the main temple of the Jōdō sect Kurodani school, Konkaikōmyō-ji Temple in Kyōtō Higashiyama.

With regards,
I.Nagy

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