Next, "The Calligraphy of Aoyama San'u, " which begins with his early cursive script and ends with the more intuitive and pictographic calligraphy of his later years.

WSJ: The Vision and Calligraphy of Aoyama San'u | Tokyo National Museum | Transformational Characters | By Michael Judge

Some call his poetry and calligraphy manifestations of genius.

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Sultan Mehmet II, the conqueror of Constantinople, wanted his portrait painted and since Islamic painting focused on calligraphy and miniatures, being painted by a top Venetian portraitist was the ultimate luxury.

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Pollock was the child of poor drifters, but his elder brother, Charles, had a talent for calligraphy.

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Shaw feels students need more rigorous majors to prepare them for the job market, but the late college dropout Steve Jobs pointed to a calligraphy class that he audited as one of his major commercial inspirations.

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"The Vision and Calligraphy of Aoyama San'u: The 100th Anniversary of His Birth" is on special exhibit through Sept. 9 at the grandly modern Heiseikan Gallery, completed in 1999, on the grounds of the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park.

WSJ: The Vision and Calligraphy of Aoyama San'u | Tokyo National Museum | Transformational Characters | By Michael Judge

In an essay accompanying a 1984 exhibition of Japanese calligraphy in the U.S. titled "Words in Motion, " he says of his masterpiece "Brightness in Every Direction!"

WSJ: The Vision and Calligraphy of Aoyama San'u | Tokyo National Museum | Transformational Characters | By Michael Judge