Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Plum Blossoms

15th century
Not on view
Plum blossoms, symbolic of the arrival of spring, were a favored subject among scholar-gentleman painters in China, but when Chinese ink paintings of plums arrived in Japan their imagery became widespread within Zen circles. This composition of a gnarled plum tree framed by a circle of ink wash may reflect the use of the circle in Zen painting and calligraphy as a visual representation of words from the text of the Heart Sutra, “form is void and void is form,” and as a symbol of enlightenment.

Motsurin, a Zen artist-monk, might also have chosen plum blossoms because they were beloved of his mentor Ikkyū Sōjun (1394–1481), an abbot of Daitokuji temple in Kyoto known for his poetry, calligraphy, and flagrantly unorthodox behavior. Motsurin’s inscribed text claims that even elegant peonies and sweet jasmine cannot match the plum as a representation of the spring season.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 没倫紹等 (墨斎) 筆 梅図
  • Title: Plum Blossoms
  • Artist: Motsurin Jōtō (Bokusai) (Japanese, died 1492)
  • Period: Muromachi period (1392–1573)
  • Date: 15th century
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Hanging scroll; ink on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 10 3/4 × 16 3/4 in. (27.3 × 42.5 cm)
    Overall with mounting: 43 1/8 × 20 1/8 in. (109.5 × 51.1 cm)
    Overall with knobs: W. 22 in. (55.9 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
  • Object Number: 2015.300.62
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
A Line from the Chinese Poem “Grasses” by Bai Juyi, Motsurin Jōtō (Bokusai) Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink on paper, Japan
A Line from the Chinese Poem “Grasses” by Bai Juyi
Traditionally attributed to Motsurin Jōtō (Bokusai)
probably 17th–18th century
Helmet (<i>Zukinnari Kabuto</i>), Iron, lacquer, Japanese
Helmet (Zukinnari Kabuto)
Japanese
16th century
Grapevine and Squirrels, Unidentified artist, Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, Korea
Grapevine and Squirrels
Unidentified artist
early 19th century
Three Poetic Verses of Teaching by Ikkyū Given to His Disciples, Motsurin Jōtō (Bokusai) Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink on paper, Japan
Three Poetic Verses of Teaching by Ikkyū Given to His Disciples
Motsurin Jōtō (Bokusai)
late 15th century
Armor (<i>Gusoku</i>), Saotome Ietada Japanese, Iron, lacquer, silk, gilt copper, Japanese
Armor (Gusoku)
Armorer Helmet bowl signed Saotome Ietada
Armorer Breastplate inscribed inside, Myōchin Munesuke
16th and 18th centuries

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 contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.