Zen Patriarchs, Xiangyan and a Bamboo Being Struck

This work was originally part of a set of sliding door paintings depicting scenes of Zen enlightenment. It features Zen monks of Tang-dynasty China, who served as models for younger generations in their religious training. The paintings adorned the walls and sliding doors of the abbot's quarters at Daisen'in temple in Kyoto. To better conserve them, they were later remounted as six hanging scrolls. They were painted by Kano Motonobu, a Muromachi-period artist who built the Kano school up to become one of the greatest painting schools in Japanese history, lasting nearly 400 years. The painting on display features an episode known as “Enlightenment Attained When a Pebble Hits Bamboo.” The Zen monk Xiangyan Zhixian was having difficulty attaining enlightenment, but one day, while working as a grave keeper, he swept a pebble against a bamboo. He instantly attained enlightenment on hearing the echo made by the pebble striking the bamboo, which is the exact moment depicted in this painting.

He is shown standing silently amid the hills as mountains loom in the background, imbuing the scene with a sense of depth. This work decorated the eastern wall of the abbot's quarters alongside another painting depicting two other episodes: “The Fifth Patriarch Hongren Rowing the Sixth Patriarch Huineng Across the River” and “Deshan with His Alms Bowl.” When the two paintings are placed side by side, we can see how they form one continuous landscape. However, the episodes are not directly connected. In fact, they are completely different when it comes to era, location, contents, and characters. Each scene is demarcated using clouds and haze. It is unclear whether these works were based on Chinese originals, but Motonobu's genius is clearly manifested in the way he has merged these separate episodes into one unified tale.

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