Emperor Goyozei was known as a proficient calligrapher in addition to possessing other talents. These are the characters for “dragon” and “tiger,” respectively. Being symbolic of heroes and emperors, they were favored particularly by politicians and rulers, who often wrote them such as in this piece. Here the characters are written in a grand and dynamic style, amply exhibiting the characteristics of the Momoyama culture which flourished in this period.(140917_h082)