Poetic Phrases

Hiin Tsūyō

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ōbaku Zen calligraphy is characterized by strong, boldly brushed characters in one or sometimes two columns. These scrolls, inscribed by Mokuan Shōtō and Sokuhi Nyoitsu (Chinese: Jifei Ruji), display the directness and bravura assurance that typifies the best Ōbaku calligraphic works. Both monks were disciples of Ingen (who brought Ōbaku to Japan) and emigrated from China to assist him in maintaining the uniquely Chinese traditions and monastic regulations of the sect. Their poetic phrases read: At sunrise, the sky rejoices. [Mokuan; on the right] Through the Fusang tree, the rising sun is pure red. [Sokuhi; on the left] —trans. John T. Carpenter

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