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Words for Priest Named Sai to Encourage His Diligence and Ascetic Practice  by Zhongfeng Mingben

  • Ink on paper 31.5cm×67.2cm 
  • Yuan dynasty, 14th century
No.11017

Zhongfeng Mingben (1263-1323) was a representative Zen monk of the Yuan Dynasty in China. He refused to accept invitations from official temples, but instead lived on a boat or in a hermitage, calling himself “Genju.”
Zhongfeng retired to Genju Hermitage in Tianmu Mountain, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, and many monks from Japan came to him, admired for his otherworldly virtue. This calligraphy was written by Zhongfeng to encourage an attendant named “Sai” who had come from Japan in his training.
Zhongfeng’s calligraphy style is unique, and it is known that in Japan Shuho Myoucho (1282-1337) was an admirer of his style.

Publications
*Birankan, Tokiwayama Bunko, 1954 (see commentary by Honan Tayama)
*Hibai Yoko – Selected Catalogue from the Tokiwayama Bunko, The Tokiwayama Foundation, 1967 (see commentary by Hisao Sugahara)
*Treasures of Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation – Selected Masterpieces: Calligraphy and Ink Paintings, Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation,2003 (see commentary by Noriko Takahashi)
*Selected Masterpieces from the Treasures of Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation – Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation, Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation,2023 (see commentary by Toko Nabeshima)