没倫紹等書「離離原上草一歳一枯榮」 （白居易『草』より）|Couplet from the Chinese Poem “Grasses” by Bai Juyi

Motsurin Jōtō (Bokusai)

15th century · Hanging scroll; ink on paper · Asian Art

A scroll with boldly inscribed Chinese characters by or attributed to a prominent Zen monk such as Motsurin Jōtō would have been used for display in an alcove during a tea ceremony. Motsurin Jōtō, or Bokusai, was a close disciple of the famous Zen monk Ikkyū (1394–1481) of Daitokuji. Because of this close connection, Motsurin’s briskly brushed calligraphy closely resembles that of his master. Here he has brushed a couplet by the Tang poet Bai Juyi (772–846): Wild grasses spread out far across the plains. Each year they wither, only to flourish again. —Trans. John T. Carpenter

Artist

Motsurin Jōtō (Bokusai)

Date

15th century

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015