Account of the Three Springs of Jiangsu Province in China

Sakugen Shūryō

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Zen Buddhist monk Sakugen Shūryō traveled to China twice on trade missions, in 1541 and 1547, when as chief envoy he was granted an audience with the Ming emperor. Sakugen kept detailed accounts of his travels and transcribed inscriptions on plaques and tablets at famous sites. This dynamically brushed section records notes on celebrated water springs in the Jiangsu region, which he visited during his first trip: “The spring named Zhon Lingquan on Mount Jin, at the heart of the Yangzi River, is called the Number One source of water under Heaven. That of the Huishan Temple at the Jinlong Feng is counted as Number Two. Jianchi Pond at Huqiu Temple in Suzhou is Number Three.”

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