Zen Koan on Cypress Trees

Jiun Onkō Japanese
late 18th century
Not on view
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.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 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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