Tensho style kanji

[kevinsano]

Does anybody know of a working tensho font? If there's no such thing available, does anybody know how to write my name in tensho?

佐能

 

[lexico]

does anybody know of a working tensho font?

See Calligraphers must see: Setsumon Kaiji 文解字, Book of Small Seal Scripts 小篆
for general info on tensho. Richard S. Cook Jr. proposed a Unicode font for the 說文解字 characters so it's possible it's out there, but I'm not sure.

my name in tensho: 佐 能

The authoritative book of etymology 說文解字 does not list 佐 among its 9,353 standardized tensho characters of ca. 100 CE. Duan Yucai, the authoritative Qing commentator says, 說文解字 does not list 佐, and that the character 左 was used to denote the sound and meaning of 佐. However beginging with reisho 隸書, which belongs to a different tradition of character evolution, the character 佐 with the 人 radical was used as early as ca. 100 BCE, and most probably earlier. See the top right character for 左 in the img.

As for 能, it is listed in 說文解字. See the top right character for 能. 能.

 

[kevinsano]

Thanks, but does that mean there's no way to write 佐 in tensho? I don't think I can just combine the "person" and "left" tensho kanji, or can I?

 

[lexico]

That would depend on what you want to achieve. If you're aim is historical precision, you would probably stick to the tenshos for 左能 as listed in Setsumon Kaiji 說文解字. Writing 佐 as 左 was the rule of orthography when tensho was at its peak.

But if you prefer the compound form 佐 at the cost of historical precision, then you could make a stylistic adaption and combine the tenshos of 人 and 左 and consider that an approximation. It would actually become a character of reisho composition written in the tensho fashion.

So basically you're choosing from 1) historical tensho script and 2) tensho-style script.
Will these go on a seal ?

 

[kevinsano]

I plan to use it to "autograph" my art so, yes.
But I won't make a real life seal, but rather its digital equivalent.
I'm not sure how to write "hito" in tensho, though.

 

[lexico]

Then I suppose there's more reason to preserve the character composition as it is for your autograph: hito 人 is at top right of



And look up the linked dictionary for compounds with 人. Please refer to more recent examples (search rakuten market with keyword 印鑑) because the aesthetic quality of the tensho characters in the linked 說文解字 edition is not very high. I would suggest comparing at least several different implementations of 人 before committing to any one sub-style. If you have the time, go thru some of the links in the 說文解字 linked above.

One note of caution: the tenshos in calligraphy and the tenshos in seals are slightly different. The ones that go on the seals tend to be more rectangular or stylized in convolution, with the stokes elongated and elaborated in certain cases, somewhat resembling the arabesque scripts or plant designs. These two are considered two sub-branches of the tensho proper.

 

[kevinsano]

this leads to an image that has the version(of the seal) I use now. I plan on replacing it with a Tensho version later on.

Cliff - end of the line by kevinsano on DeviantArt

www.deviantart.com

 

[TwistedMac]

sweet art. Love the bright colours and I really like the way you handled the distorted perspective too. sweet.
Oh and the katakana sound effects were the icing on the cake.
All looks great.

 

[lexico]

Wow, thanks for sharing your art work. I looks great. I love the three light sources that you've seamlesslyweaved together. The seal there is also quite pleasing to the eye. Please experiment with your tensho implementations, because this is art, not epigraphy. I wouldn't have been so nitpicky if I had known. Ahhh, you evil, evil!
Great stuff, Kevin!!

 

[kevinsano]

Wow, thanks for the compliment. The next time you see a drawing with a seal, it'll probably be a tensho one.(after I've updated ofcourse)

Also, thanks for the tensho information.

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

It is a homepage checking a TENSYOTAI font.
Please put a kanji in an upper column.
TENSYOTAI is displayed when I click a lower button.

篆書体（てんしょたい）チェック - シャチハタ - 一心堂印房

お好きな文字でシャチハタ専用篆書体（てんしょたい）フォントを体験して頂けます。

www.is-hanko.co.jp

 

[lexico]

Excellent link, Hiroyuki Nagashima-san!
I tried トップページ｜シヤチハタ and it worked with 2 kanjis at once!
This overview from your link is also interesting!

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

Excellent link, Hiroyuki Nagashima-san!
I tried トップページ｜シヤチハタ and it worked with 2 kanjis at once!
This overview from your link is also interesting!

HAHAHAHA
Please use a Japanese.
I did not understand a TENSHO font at the start.
I read comment of "Lexico-san", and I understood it.