Ze shin sei ro shi (From this Truth Emerges the Teacher of the Ages), Mu’an Xingdao

Teaching Gallery Label: "The Tea Ceremony," Apr-2014, Kris Imants Ercums Mu’an was a Zen monk of the Ōbaku sect who immigrated to Japan with his teacher, Yinyuan (1592-1673), the founder of the Ōbaku sect and its head temple Mampukuji in Japan. Mu’an, Yinyuan and his other disciple, Jifei (1616-1671), are widely known as the “Three Brushes of Ōbaku,” whose calligraphy styles had extensive impact on later Japanese Zen calligraphy. Mu’an was most celebrated for his large-character calligraphy, as seen in this hanging scroll. Bold and energetic in the composition of individual characters, the overall composition still retains a sense of balance. Exhibition Label: “From the Way of Writing to the Weight of Writing," Jun-2007, Ai-lian Liu Mu’an was a Zen monk of the Ōbaku sect who immigrated to Japan with his teacher, Yinyuan (1592-1673), the founder of the Ōbaku sect and its head temple Mampukuji in Japan. Mu’an, Yinyuan and his other disciple, Jifei (1616-1671), are widely known as the “Three Brushes of Ōbaku,” whose calligraphy styles had extensive impact on later Japanese Zen calligraphy. Mu’an was most celebrated for his large-character calligraphy, as seen in this hanging scroll. Bold and energetic in the composition of individual characters, the overall composition still retains a sense of balance. The spirit of the eccentric Zen master seems to come alive in this forceful and dynamic dance of ink and brush. Exhibition Label: Asian Gallery, Spring 2003, Youmi Efurd Mu’an was a Zen priest from China who became the second chief abbot of the Mampuku-ji, headquarters of the Obaku sect of Zen Buddhism at Uji, near Kyoto. A native of Quanzhou, he went to Japan together with Jifei in 1657 to accompany their teacher, Yinyuan (Japanese: Ingen). He was widely known as one of the “Three Calligraphers of the Obaku sect.” In his youth, Mu’an followed the fluent calligraphy style of Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322), the great Yuan dynasty Chinese literatus and official. Later, Mu’an’s writing gained an individuality that shows great strength and power. The calligraphy here exhibits both a rhythmical and expressive quality. Its bold style is accomplished through blunt yet energetic strokes combining rich, dark ink, and feibai [flying white], where the paper shows through the ink due to the speed of the stroke.