策彦周良筆 墨跡|Account of the Three Springs of Jiangsu Province in China

Sakugen Shūryō

late 16th century · Hanging scroll; ink on paper · Asian Art

The Zen Buddhist monk Sakugen Shūryō traveled to China twice on trade missions, in 1541 and 1547, when as chief envoy he was granted an audience with the Ming emperor. Sakugen kept detailed accounts of his travels and transcribed inscriptions on plaques and tablets at famous sites. This dynamically brushed section records notes on celebrated water springs in the Jiangsu region, which he visited during his first trip: “The spring named Zhon Lingquan on Mount Jin, at the heart of the Yangzi River, is called the Number One source of water under Heaven. That of the Huishan Temple at the Jinlong Feng is counted as Number Two. Jianchi Pond at Huqiu Temple in Suzhou is Number Three.”

Artist

Sakugen Shūryō

Date

late 16th century

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Sylvan Barnet and William Burto, 2014