Attributed to Yuichi Inoue (1916–1985)
The Perfection of Forbearance (Kṣānti Pāramitā)
Ink on paper, hanging scroll.
The present work is inscribed with the five Chinese characters Ren Ru Bo Luo Mi ("Kṣānti Pāramitā," or "The Perfection of Forbearance"). Kṣānti Pāramitā is one of the Six Pāramitās (Six Perfections) of Mahāyāna Buddhism. The Sanskrit word pāramitā literally means "to reach the other shore," signifying the passage from the shore of suffering and delusion to the shore of enlightenment and wisdom. The Six Pāramitās—generosity, morality, forbearance, diligence, meditation, and wisdom—constitute the fundamental path through which a bodhisattva attains Buddhahood. Among them, Kṣānti, or forbearance, is not merely passive endurance or emotional suppression. Rather, it is a state of spiritual composure grounded in prajñā (transcendent wisdom), through which one remains undisturbed in the face of adversity, free from anger and resentment, ultimately transcending suffering through insight into the true nature of reality.
The five monumental characters are executed in an outlined double-contour manner, with the contours first established and the interiors subsequently filled with varying tones of ink. Heavier applications of ink appear at points of pressure, turning, and termination within each stroke, while other areas are intentionally left unfilled, producing a dramatic feibai ("flying-white") effect. The striking contrast between outline and void, solid ink and blank paper, transforms the calligraphy into a composition possessing both structural clarity and the visual dynamism of abstract painting.
The composition closely follows the Dunhuang manuscript Or.8210/S.5952 from the Aurel Stein （1862-1943）Collection, now preserved in the British Museum （https://idp.bl.uk/collection/9B41F122327F4DEAAC5C972B4EDA71FF/?return=%2Fcollection%2F%3Fterm%3D0-Or-8210-S-5952-Stitched-0-0%26classification%255B%255D%3DManuscript%2520%28inc.%2520blockprint%29%26language_or_script%255B%255D%3DChinese%2520%28lang.%29%26limit%3D100）and published in Lionel Giles, Descriptive Catalogue of the Chinese Manuscripts from Tunhuang in the British Museum (London: British Museum, 1957). The arrangement, scale, and structure of the five characters correspond remarkably closely to this medieval manuscript, demonstrating that Inoue's study extended beyond the canonical models of Yan Zhenqing to include the Dunhuang manuscripts themselves. During his later years, he appears to have consciously synthesized the monumental structural qualities of Dunhuang calligraphy with the brush techniques inherited from the classical tradition of Yan Zhenqing, developing a distinctive visual language unique to his mature period.
Yet the present work should not be understood as a mechanical transcription of its Dunhuang source. While preserving the monumental composition, archaic structure, and solemn rhythm of the medieval manuscript, Inoue fundamentally transformed its visual language through the expressive possibilities of the brush. The most revealing comparison may be seen in the character 波 (Bo). In the Dunhuang manuscript, produced through woodblock printing, the upper stroke of the component 皮 terminates in sharply angular triangular forms, preserving the crisp, faceted quality of carved printing blocks. In the present work, however, these angular terminals are replaced by rounded huifeng ("returning-brush") endings derived from the calligraphic tradition of Yan Zhenqing. Rather than exposing the sharp edge of the stroke, Inoue turns the brush inward at each conclusion, enclosing its energy within the body of the line. This transformation replaces the carved rigidity of the printed model with the elasticity, rhythm, and vitality unique to brush calligraphy.
This seemingly subtle change reveals the true significance of the work. Inoue was not copying the outward appearance of a printed Buddhist text, but rather rediscovering the structural spirit of Dunhuang calligraphy itself. Retaining the expansive proportions, spatial relationships, and solemn rhythm of the medieval manuscript, he recreated the work through the living tradition of Chinese brushwork. The result is neither a reproduction of the Dunhuang original nor a conventional copy after an ancient model, but a creative reinterpretation that establishes a new dialogue between medieval Buddhist manuscripts, the classical calligraphic tradition of Yan Zhenqing, and twentieth-century avant-garde calligraphy.
The lower-left inscription reads "Yuichi's Calligraphy after the Dunhuang Manuscripts" (井上有一書 敦煌法書), attributed to Unagami Masaomi, accompanied by a blue seal reading Du Yiqie Ku'e ("Relieve All Suffering"). The seal is of particular significance. Its inscription derives from the Heart Sutra: "Illuminating the emptiness of the five aggregates, one transcends all suffering." Together with the title Kṣānti Pāramitā, it points to the same Mahāyāna Buddhist philosophy in which suffering is overcome not through emotional suppression but through wisdom and spiritual awakening.
Within the East Asian tradition of calligraphic inscriptions and collectors' seals, blue seals have traditionally been associated with periods of mourning following the passing of a senior family member. Rather than functioning merely as a collector's mark, the present blue seal therefore carries profound religious and personal meaning. On one hand, it echoes the wisdom of the Heart Sutra; on the other, it resonates deeply with the spiritual message embodied in the present work. It demonstrates that Unagami Masaomi understood not only the Dunhuang source of the composition, but also the Buddhist philosophy, Zen spirit, and deeper cultural ideal of "returning to the origin in order to create anew" expressed through Inoue's calligraphy.
Recent scholarship has increasingly shifted attention from Inoue Yuichi's calligraphic style itself toward the construction of his artistic identity. In her study Collaboration between Avant-garde Calligrapher Inoue Yūichi and Art Dealer Unagami Masaomi: The Formation of Inoue's Image and His Later Years (年報Promis, 2026, Vol.4(1), pp.91-114), Akiko Mukai argues that the art dealer and critic Unagami Masaomi played a decisive role in shaping the modern image of Inoue through exhibitions, publications, and editorial decisions during the 1970s and early 1980s. Unagami consistently emphasized Inoue's monumental single-character works, physical brushwork, and abstract expressive power, while giving comparatively little attention to his later engagement with traditional Chinese sources such as the Yan Shi Jia Miao Bei and the Dunhuang manuscripts.
The present work, however, reveals a more complex reality. Unagami clearly recognized the importance of Inoue's return to the Chinese calligraphic tradition. His inscription identifying the work as a "Dunhuang model" and his deliberate use of the Heart Sutra seal demonstrate a profound understanding of its Buddhist meaning and historical foundation. Yet this aspect of Inoue's artistic practice remained largely outside the modern artistic narrative that Unagami constructed. In other words, Unagami understood the work itself, but did not fully incorporate it into the art historical image of Inoue that he presented to the public.
Viewed within the broader history of modern Japanese calligraphy, this phenomenon reflects the continuing dialogue between modernism and the East Asian tradition. In his recent study, The Cross-cultural Entanglement of Modern Calligraphy and Zen Thought (Qinghua Journal, Vol. 56, No. 1, 2026, page 42), Lin Chun-chen argues that although modern Japanese calligraphy actively embraced Western modernism and sought to redefine calligraphy as a form of contemporary art, its spiritual trajectory ultimately led back to Zen Buddhism, Chinese calligraphy, and the broader cultural traditions of East Asia. Modernism, in this view, was not an end in itself, but a path toward "returning to the origin in order to create anew."
The present scroll stands as one of the clearest manifestations of this intellectual and artistic trajectory. Rather than continuing indefinitely toward abstraction, Inoue, after decades of avant-garde experimentation, consciously returned to the Chinese calligraphic tradition. By studying both Yan Zhenqing and the Dunhuang manuscripts, he combined the monumental structures of medieval Buddhist calligraphy with the disciplined brush techniques of the classical tradition and the expressive freedom of postwar avant-garde calligraphy. The result is a new visual language rooted in Chinese calligraphy while remaining unmistakably a product of twentieth-century Japanese modern art.
The significance of the present work therefore extends far beyond its relationship to the Dunhuang manuscripts. It demonstrates that Inoue Yuichi's late artistic direction was not the culmination of modernist abstraction alone, but a conscious return to the origins of Chinese calligraphy, where tradition became the very source of innovation. As such, the scroll not only bridges Dunhuang manuscripts, the calligraphy of Yan Zhenqing, Japanese avant-garde calligraphy, and Zen thought, but also provides an important opportunity to reconsider Inoue's late artistic development and the influential art historical narrative constructed by Unagami Masaomi.
Property from a Distinguished San Francisco Collector of Asian Art, preserved in a long-established private collection. The present work represents an important opportunity to reassess Inoue Yuichi's late artistic practice and his creative dialogue between the Chinese calligraphic tradition and modern Japanese calligraphy.
Height: 69 1/2 in. (176.5 cm). Width: 16 in. (40.6 cm).
井上有一（款，1916–1985）
《忍辱波羅蜜》
水墨紙本 立軸
書「忍辱波羅蜜」五字。
「忍辱波羅蜜」（梵語 Kṣānti-pāramitā）為大乘佛教六波羅蜜（六度）之一。「波羅蜜」（Pāramitā）意為「到彼岸」，即由煩惱、生死之此岸，渡向智慧、覺悟之彼岸。六波羅蜜包括布施、持戒、忍辱、精進、禪定與般若智慧，為菩薩修行成佛所必經的六種德行。其中，「忍辱波羅蜜」並非世俗意義上的逆來順受或壓抑情緒，而是建立於般若空性智慧之上的「安忍」（Kṣānti），強調面對順逆境界時，皆能安住於本心，不生瞋恚，不起怨懟，最終透過對諸法實相的體悟，超越一切苦惱，抵達智慧的彼岸。因此，「忍辱」並不是消極的忍耐，而是一種建立於智慧之上的精神自由，也是佛教修行的重要核心。
本作用雙鉤法勾勒字形輪廓，並於筆畫內部施以墨色，濃淡變化豐富。每一筆畫的提按、頓挫、轉折及收筆處施以重墨，其餘部分則有意留白，形成極富張力的飛白效果。畫面在輪廓與空白、實墨與虛處、文字與圖像之間形成鮮明對比，使五個巨字既保留漢字結構，又呈現近乎抽象繪畫般的視覺力量。
本作整體構圖與英國大英博物館藏敦煌寫經《忍辱波羅蜜經》Or.8210/S.5952高度一致 （https://idp.bl.uk/collection/9B41F122327F4DEAAC5C972B4EDA71FF/?return=%2Fcollection%2F%3Fterm%3D0-Or-8210-S-5952-Stitched-0-0%26classification%255B%255D%3DManuscript%2520%28inc.%2520blockprint%29%26language_or_script%255B%255D%3DChinese%2520%28lang.%29%26limit%3D100）。該寫卷屬斯坦因（Aurel Stein 1862-1943）敦煌藏品，著錄於 Lionel Giles 編《Descriptive Catalogue of the Chinese Manuscripts from Tunhuang in the British Museum》（London: British Museum, 1957）。無論五字的排列方式、整體比例，還是字形結構，本作均與該敦煌文獻密切對應，說明井上有一晚年不僅持續臨習顏真卿《顏氏家廟碑》等經典碑刻，同時亦深入研究敦煌寫經，並嘗試將敦煌書法的結構特徵與顏真卿渾厚圓融的筆法精神融為一體，形成其晚年獨具特色的書法語言。
然而，本作絕非對敦煌原本的機械摹寫。井上有一在保留敦煌寫經整體章法、結構與中古文字古拙氣息的同時，以傳統毛筆書法重新賦予其生命。其中尤以「波」字最具代表性。敦煌原卷因木刻印刷而成，「皮」部首上端筆畫保留了鮮明的三角形棱角，轉折銳利，具有刀刻文字特有的鋒芒；而井上有一則將這些尖銳棱角轉化為顏真卿書法傳統中的回鋒收筆，使筆鋒於收筆處自然回轉，將鋒芒內斂於筆畫之中。這種由外露轉為內含、由刀刻感轉化為毛筆書寫感的變化，使字形更加厚重、渾穆，也重新恢復了書寫的節奏、力度與生命力。
這一細微而關鍵的處理，說明井上有一所學習的並非敦煌寫經作為印刷文本的外貌，而是敦煌書法本身的結構精神。他保留了中古書法宏大的字形結構、寬博的空間關係以及佛經書寫莊嚴肅穆的節奏，同時透過顏真卿筆法重新完成一次具有現代意義的書寫。因此，本作既不是敦煌寫經的複製，也不同於一般意義上的臨帖，而是在敦煌文獻、顏真卿書法與二十世紀前衛書法之間建立起一種新的創造性關係。
左下題識「井上有一書 敦煌法書」，傳為海上雅臣所書，旁鈐藍文印「度一切苦厄」。此方印文尤值得注意。「度一切苦厄」出自《般若波羅蜜多心經》，原文為「照見五蘊皆空，度一切苦厄」，意指透過般若智慧洞見萬法皆空，而超越人生一切苦難。此印文與本作所書「忍辱波羅蜜」同屬般若思想體系，共同指向由智慧而非情緒超越苦厄的修行境界。
在東亞書畫題跋與鑑藏傳統中，藍色印章常被視為服喪印（喪中印），一般於家中長輩辭世後的服喪期間使用，以示哀悼與自抑。因此，本作所鈐藍文印「度一切苦厄」並非普通收藏印，而具有鮮明的宗教與生命意涵。它一方面呼應《心經》「照見五蘊皆空，度一切苦厄」的般若思想，另一方面亦與「忍辱波羅蜜」所倡導的安忍、慈悲與超越苦難之精神形成深刻對應。這不僅說明海上雅臣認識到本作取法敦煌法書，更表明他充分理解井上有一藉《忍辱波羅蜜》所表達的佛教思想、禪宗精神，以及經由中國書法傳統所展現的「返本開新」精神。
近年來，關於井上有一的研究已逐漸由書法風格本身，轉向其藝術形象如何被建構。向井晃子《前衛書家井上有一與畫商海上雅臣的合作——井上形象的形成及其晚年》（Collaboration between Avant-garde Calligrapher Inoue Yūichi and Art Dealer Unagami Masaomi: The Formation of Inoue's Image and His Later Years，年報Promis, 2026, Vol.4(1), pp.91-114）指出，畫商兼評論家海上雅臣於一九七〇年代後持續透過出版、策展及推廣，逐步建構出今日廣為人知的「現代藝術家井上有一」形象。他著力強調的是井上的巨幅一字書、抽象表現與身體性書寫，而對於井上晚年重新研習《顏氏家廟碑》、敦煌寫經等中國書法傳統的作品，則鮮少納入其主要的藝術敘事之中。
然而，本作卻揭示了另一個值得重新思考的事實。海上雅臣並非沒有理解井上晚年回歸中國書法傳統的意義。相反，他親自題寫「敦煌法書」，並鈐蓋《心經》「度一切苦厄」之印，充分說明他理解這件作品所蘊含的敦煌書法傳統、佛教思想與禪宗精神。只是，在其所建構的「現代藝術家井上有一」敘事之中，他並未將這一面向作為主要論述對象，而是選擇突出井上的抽象性、身體性與現代藝術特質。換言之，海上雅臣理解這件作品，卻沒有讓藝術史充分理解它。
從更宏觀的日本現代書法史來看，這種現象恰恰反映出現代主義與東方傳統之間持續存在的張力。林俊臣《現代書法與禪學的跨文化交纏》（《清華學報》第56卷第1期，第42页，2026）指出，日本現代書法運動雖深受西方現代藝術衝擊，積極突破傳統書法規範，試圖將書法納入現代藝術體系，但其精神發展最終卻呈現出一種「返本開新」的歷程——經由西方現代主義的洗禮，再次回歸禪學、中國書法及東亞精神傳統，並在傳統之中尋求新的創造可能。現代主義並非終點，而是重新發現傳統的一條道路。
本作正是這一歷程最具代表性的實物例證。井上有一晚年並未一味走向抽象，而是在完成現代主義探索之後，重新回到中國書法傳統之中，尤其深入研習顏真卿《顏氏家廟碑》與敦煌寫經。他保留敦煌寫經宏大的結構精神，吸收顏真卿渾厚內斂的筆法，再融合自身數十年來前衛書法的表現經驗，創造出一種既深植於中國書法傳統，又屬於二十世紀日本現代藝術的新書法形式。
因此，本作的重要性不僅在於其取法敦煌寫經，更在於它證明了井上有一晚年的藝術方向，並非現代主義的終點，而是在經歷現代主義之後重新回歸中國書法傳統，並於傳統之中完成真正意義上的「返本開新」。它不僅連結了敦煌文獻、顏真卿書法、日本前衛書法與禪宗思想，也為重新理解井上有一晚年的藝術轉向，以及重新審視海上雅臣所建構的「井上有一」藝術史形象，提供了一件極具研究價值的重要實物。
本作來源於美國舊金山資深亞洲藝術收藏家舊藏。
高69 1/2英寸（約176.5厘米）；寬16英寸（約40.6厘米）。
