Tofukuji Temple: Explanation upon Entering the Academy

JAPAN, Kyoto; Kamakura period

This scroll is a copy of Han Yu’s Explanation upon Entering the Academy written in calligraphy by Kokan Shiren. Only fragments of the scroll remain today. It was listed as an Important Cultural Property in 1942.
The histories of Chinese and Japanese calligraphy are deeply intertwined. From the Sui dynasty (581–618) to the Tang dynasty (618–907), Chinese calligraphic styles carried strong influence in Japan. The style of the Song dynasty (960–1279) calligrapher Huang Tingjian also significantly impacted the works produced in Japanese Zen monasteries, as exemplified by this scroll. While differences lay between this work and that of Huang’s, the character configuration matches the rigor and density of Huang’s calligraphy. Kokan Shiren’s capability in calligraphy can be observed in the confidence and mastery with which he uses the brush.
Kokan Shiren was an eminent monk of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism between the Kamachura period (1185–1333) and the Nanbokucho period (1336–1392). He was a leading scholar of the Literature of the Five Mountains, and at an early age, he was known as the “Manjusri Child.” Kokan became a monk at the age of 10, and was diligent in studying Buddhist sutras and other literature. He completed the 30-chapter Genko Shakusho in 1322, which was one of his most important published contributions to Buddhism.