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Zen stick

Zen priest Banjin Sōtai (Rinzai School), the 264th chef of the Daitoku-ji (Kyoto)

Edo period, 18th century, ca. 1750

Height: 166 (52.3) cm – Width: 132 (120) cm

ink on paper, mounting on silk

The motif is a stick which is an important tool for the Zen. The Zen priests used a stick when they went on a walking pilgrimage. It was also used when they preached sermon on depicting Ensō or beating the disciples for training. To sum up, the stick is an important image of training. Banjin Sōtai vigorously painted a full-sized stick with one stroke without hesitation. He added a poem of Secchō Jyūken (980-1052), a Chinese Chan priest of the Northern Song dynasty of China.

Provenance

Private collection, Japan

Exhibition(s)

Exhibited at the musée national des arts asiatiques – Guimet until March 1st, 2021