Iaido dude

Thanks John and Steve. Interestingly, Xi Jinping has cast himself in the mold of the Chinese philosopher-king, guided by Confucian dictates.

John, please let us know what Confucian ideals are symbolized by the orchid. We find the Four Gentlemen theme on a number of kinds of arts and crafts including tsuba.

Thanks very much, Baby Joe! This makes perfect sense, as Mu’an is referencing the quiet, unnoticed, cultivation of the Zen mind. Brilliant. I rarely acquire calligraphy without knowing the meaning, but Mu’an’s painting is enough reason, and he doesn’t f—k around when it comes to calligraphy inscriptions. This one goes on the wall when it arrives, next to my other work by Mu’an invoking the name of Kanzeon Bosatsu (Chinese Guanshiyin Pusa).

I just acquired this calligraphy and painting of orchids on auction from Roseberys (London) along with a group of other unmounted calligraphy/painting. This subject was the theme of other works by Mokuan. Translation assistance would be appreciated. The subject and style of the painting follows that of literati painters with whom the early Obaku monks associated closely with as they brought their Zen tradition along with Chinese art and culture to Japan, where it was highly influential. However, the calligraphy style is late Ming dynasty. The different shades of ink wash that Mokuan uses to paint the leaves gives the composition great balance and an ethereal impression of delicacy, purity, and dignity. Mu'an Xintao (木庵性瑫, 1611-1684), known in Japan as Mokuan Shōtō, underwent Zen training in China at Wanfusi with three of the greatest Ch'an masters of the early 17th century: Miyun Yanwu (1566-1642), Feiyin Tongrong (1593-1661), and finally Obaku (Huangbo) monk Yinyuan Longqi (Ingen Ryuki, 1592-1673), who bestowed on him dharma transmission in 1650. He followed Yinyuan and an entourage of a dozen other monks from southern China to Nagasaki to help with the founding of Manpukuji, which Mu'an took over as its second abbott when Yinyuan retired in 1664. Over a period of 17 years he oversaw the expansion of Manpukuji and the founding of numerous other Obaku temples throughout Japan, including Zuishoji, the principle Obaku temple in Edo. Below is a very refined work of the same theme by Obaku Xihe Zhiyin (西河知音), painted c. 1692 and in the collection of the National Museum of Asian Art (Smithsonian), done shortly after Mokuan's death it would seem. I haven't been able to place Xihe in the Obaku genealogy, but he likely came to Japan as a member of the entourage of Obaku monks that accompanied Ingen or Mokuan. The notes accompanying this piece on the web site: "The orchid's long and gracefully fluttering leaves often overshadow its inconspicuous flowers. The delicate flowers represent the purity of seclusion for scholars. Orchids grow untended-like the scholar who cultivates his own talents but is unrecognized by others. The blossoms exude a subtle fragrance that symbolizes the purity of men. This painting was likely executed by a Chinese Buddhist monk of the Obaku sect of Zen Buddhism. In the 1650s, a large number of monks migrated from China to Japan after the fall of the Ming dynasty and the rise of the foreign Manchurian government."

With great research assistance from Hiro. Jitsuden Docho (実傳道釣) is known to have been a disciple of Mokuan Shoto (木庵性瑫 1611-1684) through a lineage database maintained by the Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts and from among a list of 250 Ōbaku-related ink works donated to Komazawa University by Mr. Mochizuk (i望月氏). There is scant additional biographical information. The inscription of the current work reads: 繙經參月心 (fān jīng, cān yuè xīn) Translating/reading the scriptures, contemplating the moon-like mind (literal meaning) Turning the pages of the sutras, I contemplate the mind that is like the moon (poetic meaning) What is intriguing about the current work is that the painting is nearly identical to a treasure in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Sokuhi Nyoitsu (another student of Mokuan) called "Reading a Sutra by Moonlight." The inscription in the latter suggests that enlightenment is not to be found in scripture such sutra (e.g. "words and letters"). This rejection of reliance on scripture is one of the principles of Zen Buddhism and attributed directly to the semi-lengendary Bodhidharma himself. Although not quite as crisp and precise as the version in The MET, it seems possible that the accompanying painting, which appears to be cut off at the bottom, is also by Sokuhi Nyoitsu, and that the signature and seals have simply been lost. Jitsuden and Sukohi were contemporaries in a small community of early Obaku monks who would have had many opportunities to meet and to interact or collaborate regularly. However, it may be that Jitsuden is suggesting that study of scripture can be a tool for achieving direct insight and awakening, much like koan study is used in Rinzai Zen practice for this purpose. If true, it would be a departure from traditional Zen belief and understanding. Would Sukohi have contributed the painting if this were the case? Perhaps this work is a deeper exploration of the role of study in facilitating the direct experience of kensho or satori. Exegesis of the two phrases of the inscription supports this hypothesis: 繙經 (fān jīng) — Engaging with sacred texts (specifically Sanskrit), but not merely intellectual study; "turning over" implies intimate, repeated handling, suggesting devotion or deep familiarity. 參月心 (cān yuè xīn) — In Ch'an/Zen Buddhism, "contemplating the moon" often refers to looking beyond words to direct insight. The famous metaphor says: the finger pointing at the moon is not the moon itself — teachings (sutras) are the finger; the enlightened mind is the moon. Here, cān yuè xīn suggests using scripture to investigate one's own original, luminous, and still nature — "mind-as-moon." The inspiration for the theme of "Reading a Sutra by Moonlight" may come from works such as this one with inscription by Yuxi Simin 玉谿思珉 (d. 1337). The painter is unknown. Prior to acquiring the present work, I have never seen another depiction of this theme except for a clear fake: In this one volume of sutra, The words have no clear meaning. The sun rises, the moon sets, When will I finish reading it? Inscribed by Simin of the Baofu [Temple]. [Seal]: Yuxi 只這一卷經，字字無分曉。 日出月又落，幾時看得了。 保福思珉讚。 [印]：玉谿

Also in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a calligraphy/painting from the 14th century showing the same pictorial theme of "Reading a Sutra by Moonlight" and the belief since the beginning of Ch'an Buddhism after the arrival of Bodhidharma (Daruma) in the 5th/6th century CE that enlightenment cannot be attained by study alone. Commentary from catalog: Chan/Zen art and philosophy blend strict rigor with playful irreverence. The dignified image of an aging master learnedly poring over an abstruse scripture is undercut by the poetic inscription, which suggests that true enlightenment may just as well be found elsewhere Yuxi Simin 玉谿思珉 (d. 1337), 5 columns in semi-cursive script, undated; 1 seal: In this one volume of sutra, The words have no clear meaning. The sun rises, the moon sets, When will I finish reading it? [1] Inscribed by Simin of the Baofu [Temple]. [Seal]: Yuxi 只這一卷經，字字無分曉。 日出月又落，幾時看得了。 保福思珉讚。 [印]：玉谿 [1] Trans. from Wen C. Fong, Beyond Representation: Chinese Painting and Calligraphy 8th–14th Century. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992, p. 361.

My wife helped me translate Jitsuden's calligraphy: 繙經參月心 (fān jīng cān yuè xīn) Translating/reading the scriptures, contemplating the moon-like mind (literal meaning) or Turning the pages of the sutras, I contemplate the mind that is like the moon (poetic meaning) It's difficult to discern whether this is also a rejection of a reliance on "words and scriptures" like the work known to be by Sokuhi in which the monk is reading the sutra in the moonlight. Or could it be that Jitsuden is suggesting that study of scripture can be a tool for achieving direct insight and awakening, much like koan study is used in Rinzai Zen practice for this purpose. If the latter, it would be a departure from traditional Zen belief and understanding. Would Sukohi have contributed the painting if this were the case? Perhaps this work is a deeper exploration of the role of study in facilitating the direct experience of kensho or satori. 繙經 (fān jīng) — Engaging with sacred texts, but not merely intellectual study; "turning over" implies intimate, repeated handling, suggesting devotion or deep familiarity. 參月心 (cān yuè xīn) — In Chan/Zen Buddhism, "contemplating the moon" often refers to looking beyond words to direct insight. The famous metaphor says: the finger pointing at the moon is not the moon itself — teachings (sutras) are the finger; the enlightened mind is the moon. Here, cān yuè xīn suggests using scripture to investigate one's own original, luminous, and still nature — "mind-as-moon."

Thanks, Hiro. I have emailed Komazawa University to try to get connected to a curator at the Museum of Zen Culture and History. The relationship of Jitsuden Kocho to Mokuan Shoto, both Obako monks seems to be confirmed in two separate databases now. Sukohi Nyoitsu appears next to Mokuan, which is a known association, as both were students of Ingen. There are numerous collaborative works, truly wondrous, by Ingen, Mokuan, and Sukohi (known as the three brushes of Obaku), including the one below that were donated from a single American collection to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The order from right to left is Ingen, Mokuan, and Sukohi. I saw these pieces in January while in NYC. They were not on display, but the assistant curator was kind enough to show them to me.

The translation of Sukohi Nyoitsu's inscription to the painting is marvelous. He suggests that the wisdom the monk seeks in the sutra resides elsewhere. This rejection of reliance on "words and scripture" is one of the principles of Zen Buddhism. Only personal experience of enlightenment is to be trusted. 月白紙一色　眼与墨俱黑 妙義个中圓　了亦不可得 Moon and white paper are of one color. The pupil of the eye and the ink are both black. The marvelous meaning, lodged in the circle, Is beyond comprehension. —Trans. Jonathan Chaves

Hiro, here is another related puzzle. The artist is said to be Jitsuden Docho (実傳道釣), whom I have confirmed to have been a disciple Mokuan Shoto (木庵性瑫) through a lineage database maintained by the Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts https://authority-dev.dila.edu.tw//person/search.php?aid=A030882. The author of this work is a bit difficult to place historically because I can't seem to find any additional biographical information or other works of his for comparison of the mei and seals. In addition, although Jitsuden was well-regarded as a calligrapher, he is not known to be a painter. The subject matter highly resembles the same subject matter as a famous work called "Reading a Sutra Under the Moon," (The Met) which painted by Sokuhi Nyoitsu (即非如一)--a contemporary of both Mokuan and Jitsuden. Because the bottom is cut off, any mei and seals on the original are now lost. Still, I wonder if the painting is by Nyoitsu. It is clearly painted on silk cloth rather than paper. Inscription by Jitsuden Kocho. Painting possibly by Sokuhi Nyoitsu. Sukohi Nyoitsu

Thanks, Hiro. I have found additional evidence that Tokuho was not just a minor Obaku monk disciple of Kosen. As you have shown, he had two dharma heirs of his own. Here is another simplified lineage chart in Stephen Addiss' exhibit catalog "Obaku: Zen Painting and Calligraphy." In this volume of works belonging to American collections, another Kannon collaboration by Kosen/Tokuho is also featured. Here Kannon is depicted on a lotus rather than an outcropping above water. The translation is: Up on a green leaf, Kannon is quiet and peaceful, With eyes that hear sounds and ears that see colors-- How marvelous, how useful! Kosen's seals from this painting and two others in the catalog are shown here along with their translations.

Thanks, Steve. Greatly appreciated. Trying to decipher seal script is sometimes challenging. The Obaku monks from China practiced seal carving as an art form. Steven Addis has written that they tend to use the same set of three seals such that forgeries can be detected on close examination to determine if a seal(s0 appears altered. However, each artist also has a long career in most cases, using different seals depending on the context (different audience, different temple location, different artist name, etc.).

One of the interesting aspects of this is that Kosen used block/regular script throughout. His mei and the seals on the Kannon that I originally posted don't match other examples that I have found online and in books, but the top right seals of the two inscriptions for Kannon paintings appears very similar and contain the same characters carved on two distinct seals.

Tokuho Dosho became a disciple of Kosen at Manpuku-ji in 1670. So, I believe you have solved the mystery. It makes perfect sense that master and disciple collaborated on this work. I’m having a calligrapher/scholar in Singapore translate the kanji. smaller seal: Tokuho larger seal: Mei Dosho I have to learn from your reference sources how to identify seals that are based on seal script. Thanks so much.

Thanks, Hiro. I’ll follow up on your leads as to the identity of the painter through the seals you have tackled. I was surprised that he didn’t do the painting, as Kosen is admired as a fine painter as well, although his works are not numerous enough to know if he ever painted Kannon. Can you make out any of the brushwork?