Bird on a Branch

Unkei Eii Japanese
 Inscribed by Daiko Shōkaku Japanese

Not on view

This work features dry and spontaneous brushwork that captures the moment a small bird (a titmouse) has alighted on a wizened branch. The brusque calligraphy by Daitokuji temple prelate Daiko Shōkaku cites a verse by the well-known Zen monk-poet Son’an (Kisei Reigen, 1402–1488). The poem reads:

In the forest, when evening comes
birds retire and nest together.
Coupled birds remain in flight,
their joined wings letting them soar,
not looking for a place to spend the night.
—Translation after Miyeko Murase

Bird on a Branch, Unkei Eii (Japanese, active first half of the 16th century), Hanging scroll; ink on paper, Japan

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Bird on a Branch, Unkei Eii (Japanese, active first half of the 16th century), Hanging scroll; ink on paper, Japan
Bird on a Branch, Unkei Eii (Japanese, active first half of the 16th century), Hanging scroll; ink on paper, Japan

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