Characters - Sakyamuni Hall

CHINA; Southern Song dynasty

This signboard inscription by Chan Master Wuzhun Shifan was a gift to National Master Enni Ben’en of Japan. Bearing four large characters reading “Sakyamuni Hall,” the composition appears orderly, and the characters proportionate. The imposing manner and style with which the characters were written is almost on par with that of calligraphy master, Mi Fu. The inscription was listed as an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1952.
Wuzhun Shifan was an eminent Chan master who nurtured several Japanese disciples, the most well-known of whom was Enni Ben’en. Although Master Wuzhun never went to Japan, many of his calligraphic works were brought there by his disciples, imparting Chinese Chan influence on the calligraphy of Japanese Buddhist monks and artists.