Portrait of the Ōbaku Zen Monk Jifei Ruyi (Sokuhi Nyoitsu)
1666
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions
Image: 43 1/8 × 17 5/16 in. (109.5 × 44 cm) Overall with mounting: 79 1/4 × 22 1/4 in. (201.3 × 56.5 cm) Overall with knobs: 79 1/4 × 24 3/8 in. (201.3 × 61.9 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
Accession Number
1975.268.78
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant hanging scroll portrait, painted Kita Genki in 6, captures the dignified of the Ōb Zen monk Jifeiuyi, also known as Sokuhi Nyoitsu. Executed in ink and color on silk, the image measures 43 1/8 × 17 5/16 inches, with an overall mounted length of nearly 80 inches—perfect for ceremonial display in a temple or scholar's studio during Japan's Edo period (16151868). The Edo era was a golden age of cultural synthesis, blending native traditions with Chinese influences like the Ōbaku school of Zen Buddhism, which emphasized sudden enlightenment and Chan (Zen) orthodoxy. Portraits of monk...