By Matsudaira Bokudō
Meiji~Showa period (20th century)
Donated by Manabu and Yuko Takano
Matsudaira Bokudō (1884–1962) was a leading Shōnai calligrapher who studied under the calligraphy master Kurosaki Kendō. He was the 10th head of the Takeemon Matsudaira family, who served as retainers of the Shōnai clan. Graduating from the Yamagata Prefectural Normal School in 1907, he went on to teach at various schools, including Sakegawa Primary School in Mogami County and Sakata Senior High School for Girls.
In 1916, he travelled to China to work at a high school for Japanese girls, during which he also studied calligraphy. He spent twelve years there before returning to Japan and continuing to teach. His last official post was as a commissioned clerk at the Ministry of the Imperial Household Library. After two years, he returned to his hometown in 1941, where he continued to devote himself to teaching the younger generation.