Tanzanku (Poem Slip): Picking Chrysanthemums

The Buddhist nun Rengetsu Otagaki employed an unorthodox calligraphy on her paintings, calligraphy scrolls, and poem slips (known in Japanese as tanzaku). Her unique script reflected the inventive adaptation of many traditional local sources including the unique classical calligraphy of the Heian period (794–1185) that was much favored by Japanese women poets and artists.

Yet the strongest impact on Rengetsu’s calligraphic style, which is notable for its angularity, was her practice of incising poetic texts directly into the clay surfaces of the cups, containers, and other pottery vessels she fabricated and sold for her livelihood. This technique required simplification—she excludes complex Chinese characters in favor of leaner Japanese glyphs. It also demanded readability—individual graphs are not linked together, as is typical in other Japanese writing styles.

This poem slip features one of Regetsu’s original haiku poems—a short poem that is usually associated with a seasonal reference. The 79-year-old Rengetsu made this work at the peak of the chrysanthemum season. Reflecting on lost youth and old age, a subject appropriate to the autumn months heralded by this bloom, Rengetsu records her efforts to brew the flower’s petals into a longevity tea: