Shokokuji Temple: Ten Ox Herding Verses

JAPAN, Kyoto; Muromachi period

Written by the Zen Master Zekkai Chushin at the age of 60, this work is composed in ten square scrolls that measure 34 cm by 34 cm each. It is said that during the Song dynasty (960–1279), the Chan monk Kuo’an Shiyuan created the Ten Ox Herding Pictures together with a preface and accompanying verses to illustrate the path and progression in Chan meditation practice. This calligraphic work, which is a copy of the poetic verses from Kuo’an’s work, was listed as an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1909.
Master Zekkai visited China at the start of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), during which he was greatly influenced by the prevalent trends in Chinese calligraphy. A distinct influence from the calligrapher Zhao Mengfu is observed in Zekkai’s work, although Zhao’s vigorous and strong brushwork is absent in this particular piece. The same lack of vigor can be noted in his structuring of each character, an area that Zhao treated delicately. Zekkai’s characters are more spaciously arrayed and systematically aligned, demonstrating a calm and stable appearance, reflective of the calligrapher’s meditation and cultivation practices.
Zekkai Chushin was a Japanese Zen master from the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism. He traveled to China in 1368 during the Ming dynasty and mastered various literary styles, including those that were popular during the Southern and Northern dynasties. He is regarded as a pioneer of the parallel verses system that is part of the Literature of the Five Mountains in Japan.