Fujiwara no Sadanobu (藤原定信)
FUJIWARA no Sadanobu (1088 - February 17, 1156) was a calligrapher during the late Heian period. He was the first son of FUJIWARA no Sadazane, and the fifth generation of the Sesonji family, and was a respected noshoka (master of calligraphy). His official rank was Jushiinoje (Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade) in Kudai gon taifu (Provisional Senior Assistant of the Minister of the Ministry of Imperial Household). Sadanobu became a calligraphy artist of folding screens used during the Daijoe (court banquets held during the first harvest festival), and many of his works remain to this date. He is reported to have spent 23 years starting from 1129 to write all 5048 volumes of the complete Buddhist scriptures by himself.
He also was an excellent appraiser.
On December 10, 1140, he obtained "Byobu Dodai" (the draft for a (Han) poem to be written on a screen) written by ONO no Tofu and "Hakurakuten Shikan" (Poetry Anthology of Bai Juyi) (TAKAMATSU no MIYA ke bon (TAKAMATSU no MIYA family version)) written by FUJIWARA no Yukinari, and managed to uncover that "Byobu Dodai" was written by Tofu at the age of 35, in December 928, and that "Hakurakuten Shikan" was written by Yukinari at the age of 47, on October 8, 1018, and noted these findings in their respective postscripts.
Bokuseki (ink trace)
Sadanobu Wakan Roeishu gire (fragmentary leaves of Wakan Roeishu (Japanese and Chinese poems to sing), FUJIWARA no Sadanobu's handwriting)
This was found recently from the secret vaults of the Ishikawa family, and was determined to be the original handwriting of Sadanobu because of his autograph of 'Sadanobu started writing this from one o'clock to three and finished from three to five on the same day' (同日未刻染筆申時終切定信) in the postscript. Poetic verses and waka (traditional Japanese poems of thirty-one syllables) were written largely in a manner of Chirashi-gaki (writing unevenly with both long and short lines, both wide and narrow line space and both large and small letters). His calligraphic style is strong and full of energy, but elegant with naturally continuous, flowing lines and displays brilliance in his brush strokes, so it is believed to be written during his late years when his calligraphy was perfected.
Kanazawa Manyoshu (Collection of Ten-Thousand Leaves, FUJIWARA no Sadanobu's handwriting)
Tsurayukishu no ge (Ki no Tsurayuki 's Anthology, volume 2) (divided as Ishiyama gire (Fragment of Tsurayukishu no ge or Ise shu (The Diary of Lady Ise)) and Shitagoshu (MINAMOTO no Shitago's Poetry Book) among Nishi-Honganji-bon Sanju-rokunin-kashu (The Nishi Hongan-ji Temple's Collection of 36 Anthologies)
Kanesuke shu gire (Fragment of FUJIWARA no Kanesuke's collection)
Boshin gire (Fragment of the Boshin Edition of Wakan Roei Shu (Japanese and Chinese Poems to Sing))
Kasujikishi (Shitagoshu danpen) (Fragment of Shitagoshu (MINAMOTO no Shitago's Poetry Book)
Kunojikyo (the Kuno-ji Temple Sutra)
And so on.