Hotei Pointing at the Moon

Hotei Pointing at the Moon

Fūgai Ekun

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The portly monk Hotei is shown hoisting his satchel over his shoulder while he points a finger at the sky above, toward an unseen moon. The abbreviated brushwork and suggestive use of blank space were earlier associated with Zen monk painters of medieval times. The Zen monk Fūgai Ekun of the Sōtō sect followed in this tradition, and often inscribed his paintings in a highly cursive script. The inscription reads: 生涯不貧、大福無隣、 指月看月、途中老賓 Shōgai hin narazu daifuku rin nashi tsuki o sashi tsuki o miru tochū no rōhin Throughout my life, I haven’t been poor Nor have lived amid wealth. Pointing at the moon, looking at the moon, I’m just an old traveler along the way. —Trans. John T. Carpenter

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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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.