Account of the Three Springs of Jiangsu Province in China

late 16th century

Not on view

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.”

Artwork Details

策彦周良筆墨跡
Title: Account of the Three Springs of Jiangsu Province in China
Artist: Sakugen Shūryō (Japanese, 1501–1579)
Period: Muromachi period (1392–1573)
Date: late 16th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink on paper
Dimensions: Image: 11 1/2 x 16 3/4 in. (29.2 x 42.5 cm)
Overall with mounting: 44 1/4 x 21 7/8 in. (112.4 x 55.6 cm)
Overall with knobs: 44 1/4 x 23 3/4 in. (112.4 x 60.3 cm)
Classification: Calligraphy
Credit Line: Gift of Sylvan Barnet and William Burto, 2014
Object Number: 2014.719.10
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Birds and Flowers of Summer and Autumn, Shikibu Terutada Japanese, Pair of hanging scrolls; ink and color on paper, Japan — Birds and Flowers of Summer and Autumn
Shikibu Terutada
mid-16th century

Musk Cat, Uto Gyoshi Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, Japan — Musk Cat
Uto Gyoshi
mid- to late 16th century

Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, Sesson Shūkei Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, Japan — Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove
Sesson Shūkei
1550s

Daoist Master Fei Zhangfang, Sesson Shūkei Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink on paper, Japan — Daoist Master Fei Zhangfang
Sesson Shūkei
ca. 1555–61

The Four Deities of Mount Kōya, Hanging scroll; ink, color and gold on silk, Japan — The Four Deities of Mount Kōya
Japan
16th century

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.