Bamboo in Snow
Taihō Shōkon Chinese
Calligrapher: Hakujun Shōkō Chinese
Not on view
The interplay of word and image is a firmly established Chinese tradition that Japanese artists have also cultivated. Taihō, who twice served as abbot of the Manpukuji Temple (headquarters of the Ōbaku Zen sect in Kyoto), is noted for his paintings of bamboo. Another Chinese émigré monk and Manpukuji abbot, Hakujun Shōkō, composed the following poem at the age of eighty to accompany Taihō’s painting:
Bamboo expands,
putting forth bamboo shoots,
over thick green leaves.
Let a man contemplate
the virtues of bamboo:
elegance, strength, and firmness,
and purify the roots of his karma.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
