One-Column Calligraphy on the Sound of Wind amidst Pines
The Chan master Yinyuan Longqi founded Manpukuji Temple in Uji, on the southern outskirts of Kyoto, in 1661. His arrival in Japan from China marked a revitalization of Rinzai Zen monastic practice, and his robust calligraphy—in great demand by both followers and members of the public—established a legacy in which Ōbaku monks excelled in the medium. In this five-character line, Yinyuan evokes autumnal winds sweeping through the mountains, using synesthesia to capture the auditory and thermal shifts. It reads:
松聲千嶂冷
The sound of pines cools
a thousand mountain ridges.
—Trans. John T. Carpenter
松聲千嶂冷
The sound of pines cools
a thousand mountain ridges.
—Trans. John T. Carpenter
Artwork Details
- 隠元隆琦筆 一行書「松聲」
- Title:One-Column Calligraphy on the Sound of Wind amidst Pines
- Artist:Yinyuan Longqi (Ingen Ryūki) (Chinese, 1592–1673)
- Period:Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date:late 17th century
- Culture:Japan
- Medium:Hanging scroll; ink on paper
- Dimensions:Image: 47 1/4 × 10 1/2 in. (120 × 26.7 cm)
Overall with mounting: 79 5/8 × 15 3/8 in. (202.2 × 39.1 cm)
Overall with knobs: 79 5/8 × 17 9/16 in. (202.2 × 44.6 cm) - Classification:Calligraphy
- Credit Line:Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2023
- Object Number:2023.583.11
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Yinyuan Longqi (Ingen Ryūki) (Chinese, 1592–1673) , and 41 other Ōbaku monks
mid-17th to mid-18th century
Attributed to Yinyuan Longqi (Ingen Ryūki) (Chinese, 1592–1673)
17th or 18th century
Inscription by Yinyuan Longqi (Ingen Ryūki) (Chinese, 1592–1673)
carved 1741
Yinyuan Longqi (Ingen Ryūki) (Chinese, 1592–1673)
ca. 1663–64
Yinyuan Longqi (Ingen Ryūki) (Chinese, 1592–1673)
1671
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