Returning Birds Bring Mountain Fragrance
| Artist | Shi Jietau (Japanese, 1611–1684) |
|---|---|
| Artist | Mokuan Shōtō (1611–1684) |
| Artist | Mu-an Xingtao |
| Culture | Chinese |
| Culture | Japanese |
| Title | Returning Birds Bring Mountain Fragrance |
| Date | 17th century |
| Medium | Ink on paper |
| Dimensions | Image: 52 1/4 x 11 in. (132.7 x 27.9 cm) Mount: 74 3/4 x 16 1/8 in. (189.9 x 41 cm) |
| Credit Line | Purchased with funds from the Thomas T. Solley endowed fund for the Curator of Asian Art, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 2013.159 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
A scroll with one vertical line of characters in thick, black ink.
The strong brushwork and large characters of this scroll showcase the calligraphy style of the Ōbaku Zen monks in Japan. It was written by Mokuan Shōtō, the second Ōbaku patriarch. In 1655, he immigrated from China to Japan at the request of his teacher Ingen Ryūki, who wrote one of the poems in the scroll displayed to your left. Mokuan helped Ingen found Mampukuji and served as second abbot of the temple. As one of the seventeenth century’s most famous calligraphers, Mokuan spread the religious and cultural ideas of the Ōbaku tradition widely in Japan.
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Mokuan Shōtō was born in China and ordained at the age of nineteen. In 1655 the head of his order asked him to move to Japan and take over the position of abbot of the Fukusai temple in Nagasaki. In 1664, he became the abbot of the most important Obaku temple in Japan, the Manpukuji. In addition to being an important Buddhist cleric and thinker, Mokuan was one of the seventeenth century’s most famous calligraphers.
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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"Returning Birds Bring Mountain Fragrance | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=2013.159