Portrait of Budai

This figure smiling flamboyantly with his great belly exposed is Budai, a Buddhist monk in the Tang dynasty China (618–907), who was believed to be an incarnation of Maitreya. According to Buddhist belief, Maitreya is a Bodhisattva who will descend to this world in the future as a savior. His untidy hair, beard, dark circles under the eyes, and wrinkles around the eyes and mouth are drawn by carefully superimposing many thin lines in a light shade. On the other hand, his robe and the left hand are drawn in thick bold lines. This striking contrast between the subtle and bold brushwork characterizes this portrait. Despite the absence of signature and seals impressed on the work, the painter is attributed to be Mu Xi, a Chinese Buddhist priest active in the 13th century from the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279) to the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368). His ink painting works were highly valued in Japan and his name became a synonym of a monk painter. During the Muromachi period (1392–1573), his works were treasured by influential Japanese personages such as the Ashikaga Shoguns.

During the Edo period (1603–1868), this scroll was possessed by the Tokugawa Shogun family until it was granted to a feudal lord, Uesugi Yoshinori in 1716 (Shotoku 6). It was then passed on for generations in the Uesugi family. After the Meiji Restoration (1868), the scroll came into the possession of a renowned tea master, Masuda Don-nō. In the world of tea ceremony, it has become well known as an ohmeibutsu (great famous things). In this work, sanbun inscription (praising phrases dedicated by a viewer of the picture) is written on a separate sheet of paper and attached to the painting. The same type of paper is used for both the inscription and portrait. The inscription was written by Jianweng Jujing (active in the late 13th century), a senior Buddhist priest in the end of the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279). He served as the chief priest at Jingci temple and Tiantong temple, each being one of the five state-sponsored Chinese Chan Buddhist temples. The writing indicates that despite his depicted appearance, Budai is in fact an incarnation of Maitreya.

— Museum description: Kyushu National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.