Sutra Announcement Board

JAPAN; Kamakura period

Chan Master Lanxi Daolong wrote this Kankinbo, or Sutra Announcement Board. He inherited the Dharma lineage of monk Wuming Huixing before leaving for Japan, where he earned the trust of the Kamakura shogunate regent, Hojo Tokiyori. Tokiyori subsequently took refuge in Zen Buddhism under Master Lanxi. This scroll was written by Master Lanxi for Hojo Tokimune, the son of Tokiyori. It is listed as an Important Cultural Property.
Written in regular and running scripts, there is a strong Zhang Jizhi influence in the calligraphic style. This influence is seen predominantly where columns are spaced well apart and strokes have clearly defined start and end-points. The character form, however, is straight and rectilinear compared to Zhang’s works. The paucity of fine articulations is readily overcome by its grand yet simple elegance.