1. Introduction — The Zuicho (Auspicious Bird)

Welcome to the Sasaki Shodo Memorial Museum. Over the next fifteen minutes or so, please join us on a journey through the world of forms created by Sasaki Shodo. Relax, and enjoy. The first work to greet you is this one: the Zuicho, the Auspicious Bird. Begin by taking in the whole piece, slowly. What impression does it give you? Is it dignity? Or is it grace? Modeled on the phoenix, the Zuicho is distinguished by the supple curve of its neck, feet planted firmly on the earth, the sweeping line of its tail, and two wings alive with movement. The nobility and vitality that radiate from the whole work mark one of the summits of Shodo's art. In 1958, this piece won the highest award at the Japan Crafts Exhibition. Its overwhelming perfection astonished visitors, and many are said to have stopped before it, transfixed. In later years, it was also adopted as the original model for the ridge ornament of the Seiden, the State Hall of the new Imperial Palace. From the dignity, and the breath of life, that this work gives off — what kind of man was Sasaki Shodo, and what kind of life did he lead?