Photo of collection object Listening to the Wind in the Pines
Ikkyū Sōjun. Listening to the Wind in the Pines, 1400s. hanging scroll; ink on paper, Painting only: 76.8 x 32 cm (30 1/4 x 12 5/8 in.); Including mounting: 153.7 x 38.1 cm (60 1/2 x 15 in.). Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund, 1985.89. CC0.

Listening to the Wind in the Pines

1400s

Ikkyū Sōjun

Ikkyū Sōjun (Japanese, 1394–1481)

Japanese Art

Listening to the Wind in the Pines, 1400s. Ikkyū Sōjun (Japanese, 1394–1481). Hanging scroll; ink on paper; painting only: 76.8 x 32 cm (30 1/4 x 12 5/8 in.); including mounting: 153.7 x 38.1 cm (60 1/2 x 15 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1985.89 A monk sits in contemplation below an overhang covered with pine. The poem, titled "Monk in the Mountains Listening to the Wind in the Pines," refers to two Chinese Chan (Zen) Buddhist monks active in the ninth century. It may be translated as follows:

Why must the Zen of Rinzai (Linji Yixuan) and Tokusan (Deshan Xuanjian) reside in a single temple for thirty years?
Once he's solved his kōan, (the monk) ends his practice and falls asleep in the quietness of the wind among the tall pines. (translated by Osvaldo Mercuri)

According to an inscription following the poem, both painting and verse were done by an eminent Japanese Buddhist monk known for revitalizing the Kyoto temple Daitokuji. The word mountain, appearing in the title to the poem on this painting, can also refer to a temple.
Maker/Artist
Ikkyū Sōjun
Classification
Painting
Formatted Medium
hanging scroll; ink on paper
Dimensions
Painting only: 76.8 x 32 cm (30 1/4 x 12 5/8 in.); Including mounting: 153.7 x 38.1 cm (60 1/2 x 15 in.)
Inscribed
Inscription: 山居僧聴松風/何須臨済徳山禅一箇住山/三十年公案工夫了畢後/長松風静罷参眠 (transcribed by Trevor Menders with Zheng Xiaoying 2017, revised by Osvaldo Mercuri 2021) Translation: Why must the Zen of Rinzai (Linji Yixuan) and Tokusan (Deshan Xuanjian) reside in a single temple for thirty years? Once he's solved his kōan, (the monk) ends his practice and falls asleep in the quietness of the wind among the tall pines. (translated by Osvaldo Mercuri) Inscription: 紫野龍寶門客东海純一休老和尚畫と詩一筆 Translation: Poem and painting brushed by venerable master Ikkyū of Japan (the Eastern Sea), guest of Murasakino (eastern precincts of Daitokuji) at Ryūhōmon (Daitokuji) Inscription: 落款 一休 Translation: Seal: Ikkyū
Departments
Japanese Art
Accession Number
1985.89
Credit Line
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
Rights Statement
CC0

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