Master Yuanzhao

CHINA; Southern Song dynasty

This is a portrait of Yuanzhao, a Song dynasty monk from Yuhang in Zhejiang, China, who later came to be known as Master Dazhi. An inscription at the top, written in 1210 by Lou Yue, a scholar from the Jiangzhe region (Jiangsu and Zhejiang), states that the painting was made after Yuanzhao passed away. It was listed as an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1965. A key figure in the revival of the Nanshan Vinaya school, Yuanzhao devoted his life to the propagation of Pure Land teachings and the monastic code. He resided in Chongfu Temple in Lingzhi for 30 years, and became known as Master Lingzhi. The temple was destroyed in the wars between 1127 and 1130, leaving only the funerary pagoda for Master Lingzhi standing. In 1141, a decree was issued by the imperial court to change his name posthumously to Dazhi (Great Wisdom); the pagoda was renamed Jieguang (Light of Precepts). In the painting, Yuanzhao sits in lotus position on a tall chair covered with a blanket. Dressed in a monastic robe, he holds a brush in his right hand and a scroll in his left. A pair of monastic shoes are placed on a footrest on the floor in front of the chair.