『夢記』　断簡|Section of the Dream Diary with a Sketch of Mountains

Myōe Kōben 明恵高弁

ca. 1203–10 · Hanging scroll; ink on paper · Asian Art

The content of a dream is inscribed in a mixture of Chinese characters and Japanese phonetic syllables known as katakana, along with a sketchy depiction of three mountains. The dreamer records a meeting with two of his acquaintances, one of whom turned out to be a deity of the Kasuga Shrine in Nara. The dream was once part of a handscroll recounting all the dreams recollected by the Buddhist monk Myōe, a seminal figure in the revival of the teachings of the Flower Garland Sutra (Kegonkyō). Myōe was further renowned for his extraordinary predilection for seeing visions and for dreaming, which he dutifully recorded from the 1190s until his death in 1232. These writings are now collectively known as the Dream Record Yume no ki). The drawing of three mountains in the distance refers to the three peaks at Kasuga, while the hills in the foreground represent the forested hills of Myōe’s own domicile at Kōzanji temple.

Artist

Myōe Kōben 明恵高弁

Date

ca. 1203–10

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Sylvan Barnet and William Burto, in honor of Saretta and Howard Barnet, 2014