不妙|Not Clever

Ichidon Shōzui

1425 · Hanging scroll; ink on paper · Asian Art

The two large characters brusquely brushed at the top of this scroll read fumyō, literally “not marvelous.” The Zen master Ichidon Shōzui bestowed this Buddhist moniker on Jumyō, an attendant monk at Kenchōji Temple whose original name meant “longevity and marvelousness”. By citing various Buddhist sources concerning the term myō, or “marvelous,” Ichidon pointed out to Jumyō that attaining such a level of enlightenment was perhaps beyond his current capacity as a pupil. He advised that Jumyō, instead, commit to achieving a more fundamental fumyō stage of Zen practice, aimed at breaking down an overly rational, dichotomous manner of thinking.

Artist

Ichidon Shōzui

Date

1425

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2021