Ming Song style calligraphy, urgent script.

Author: Editorial Board of Selected Calligraphies from Ancient Inscriptions and Stele
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1997-09-01
Features: Song Ke (1327–1387), styled Zhongwen, alias Nan Gong Sheng, was a native of Changzhou (now Wuxian County, Jiangsu). During the early Ming Dynasty's Hongwu era, he served as the Vice Governor of Fengxiang Prefecture and was renowned for his calligraphy, particularly his small regular script and Zhangcao (). This volume, "Jiju Zhang," is a work from Song Ke's middle years. "Jiju Zhang" was originally titled "Jiju Fan," an elementary reading text for Han Dynasty students. The world-renowned manuscript comprises thirty-two chapters, each with sixty-three characters. The author, Shi You, served as the Yellow Gate Commander during Emperor Xuan of the Western Han Dynasty (48–33 BC). According to Song Wang Yinglin's explanation, the title "Jiju Fan" means, "urgent and accessible," referring to characters that are difficult to recognize but can be sought quickly. This text was highly popular during the Wei and Jin periods, with many calligraphers of the time producing copies. Before the Tang Dynasty, due to repeated transcription, the content of "Jiju Fan" contained numerous errors and omissions. The script style of "Jiju Zhang" was a newly emerging cursive script derived from clerical script, known as "Zhangcao." Zhangcao later evolved into the modern cursive script, "Jincao," marking two stages in the development of cursive script. This volume of Zhangcao retains a touch of antiquity, features varied structures, and exhibits a vigorous and sharp brushwork, making it one of Song Ke's representative works. The accompanying annotations were written by referencing multiple sources, with errors and omissions preserved as in the original for comparison. It is now published in facsimile to serve as a reference for calligraphy enthusiasts for study and practice.