The hieroglyphic qualities and broad brush strokes of two of his masterpieces, "Ancient Script Mandala" (1968) and "Frolicking Birds and Beasts in Yin Script" (1969), are clearly influenced by the more primitive scripts found in bronze castings.

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

He was like his father: his father also got angry whenever he went out hunting, waging war on the birds and the beasts as if they were ferocious enemies, expending every last bit of malice in his heart while he was in the forest, and then returning home a kind, sensitive family man.

NEWYORKER: Among Animals and Plants