Reeds and Geese

Tesshū Tokusai

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This pair of hanging scrolls, though separated recently as is apparent from their different mountings, once formed part of a triptych flanking a central scroll that depicted the Daoist immortal Lu Dongbin (now in the Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kansas City). This schema, cultivated and popular in Zen temples in Japan, reflected the desire to express the underlying unity of the natural and spiritual worlds. The flying, calling, sleeping, and feeding geese reference the four fundamental aspects of monastic life. Tesshū Tokusai was one of the most cultivated monks of early Japanese Zen Buddhism. As a spiritual discipline, he devoted himself to painting orchids and geese in the style of contemporary Chinese masters. The inscription on the left scroll, partially damaged, includes the date of the eleventh month, 1343, as well as the words for “Japan” and “a respected scholar.”

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art