Integrity

KAJIURA Itsugai was a monk of the Rinzai school who was the Chief Priest of Myōshin-ji Temple. Hanging scrolls containing the writings of Buddhists priests, such as this piece by Kajiura, are commonly displayed at tea ceremonies. In this calligraphic work, Kajiura has written the kanji for “jikishin,” meaning “integrity.” This same scroll contains a second phrase, “kore-dōjō,” written by Hōunsai, the 15th head of the Urasenke tea school. The word jikishin is composed of two Japanese characters that when read literally, as its definition implies, mean “honest” and “heart.” Dōjō generally refers to a space of training or meditation for activities such as tea ceremony or martial arts. However, in Hōunsai’s response, “kore-dōjō,” dōjō does not denote a specific place — rather, it is anywhere one can practice and focus on acquiring integrity, a pursuit that requires day-to-day training and diligence.