mounted fan painting: man in white robe holding a calligraphy brush up to the side of a small cliff or rock formation covered with foliage; shorter man behind him leans over a rock, looking on; ivory roller ends

Hanshan and Shide, mid 16th century

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Hanshan (Jp. Kanzan) and Shide (Jp. Jittoku) are a pair of Chinese Chan (Jp. Zen) Buddhist monks who lived in Guoqing temple on Mount Tiantai in eastern China. The pair were known as eccentrics, often acting peculiarly, such as yelling or laughing suddenly. Their strangeness is reflected in their hairstyles, which were appropriate for children but not for grown men. After their deaths, Chan Buddhists considered them the incarnation of bodhisattvas Mañjuśrī (Jp. Monju) and Samantabhadra (Jp. Fugen), the guardians of wisdom and practice, respectively.

In this painting, which was originally mounted as a fan, Shide grinds ink on a rock while Hanshan brushes a few lines onto the side of a tree. According to legend, after the pair mysteriously disappeared, Hanshan was believed to have left poems on rocks and trees.

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Details
Title
Hanshan and Shide
Artist Life
c. 1513 - 1575
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2015.79.59
Catalogue Raisonne
Murase, Art through a Lifetime, no. 133
Curator Approved

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mounted fan painting: man in white robe holding a calligraphy brush up to the side of a small cliff or rock formation covered with foliage; shorter man behind him leans over a rock, looking on; ivory roller ends