Zen Koan on Cypress Trees
Jiun Onkō’s gestural calligraphy exploits, to great effect, the flying-white technique, which involves using a brush with splayed bristles. The short, cryptic phrase transcribed here is the response given by the Chinese Chan monk Zhaozhou Congshen (Jōshū Jūshin, 778–897) to a koan—a riddle-like question posed by a master to trigger spiritual enlightenment in his disciples. When asked, “What is the meaning of the Patriarch [Bodhidharma] coming from the west?,”
趙州云「庭前栢樹子」
Zhaozhou replied:
“The cypress trees in the front garden.”
Jiun Onkō, a Shingon Esoteric Buddhist monk distinguished for his extensive engagement with religious traditions beyond his own sect, including Zen Buddhism, often drew upon this koan as a recurring motif in his poetry.
趙州云「庭前栢樹子」
Zhaozhou replied:
“The cypress trees in the front garden.”
Jiun Onkō, a Shingon Esoteric Buddhist monk distinguished for his extensive engagement with religious traditions beyond his own sect, including Zen Buddhism, often drew upon this koan as a recurring motif in his poetry.
Artwork Details
- 慈雲飲光筆 公案「庭前栢樹子」
- Title: Zen Koan on Cypress Trees
- Artist: Jiun Onkō (Japanese, 1718–1804)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: late 18th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 45 1/8 × 21 3/4 in. (114.6 × 55.2 cm)
Overall with mounting: 78 3/8 × 22 5/8 in. (199.1 × 57.5 cm)
Overall with knobs: 78 3/8 × 25 in. (199.1 × 63.5 cm) - Classification: Calligraphy
- Credit Line: Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2023
- Object Number: 2023.583.20
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Jiun Onkō
late 18th century
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late 18th century
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