(Monk) Toryu Kokai
Black plum, circa early 1800s
Ink on paper
76”h x 16-1/2”w ; scroll, 55”h x 11”w
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The poem inscribed on the scroll reads: a dream on new year’s day a black plum tree appears gradually changing its shape to a dragon the dragon will invite rainfall...
The poem inscribed on the scroll reads:
a dream on new year’s day
a black plum tree appears
gradually changing its shape to a dragon
the dragon will invite rainfall after
our extended dry period
Every sinuous appendage lashes violently away from its body, a center that cannot hold caught in a twister of motion. The chaotic form of what is no longer a plum tree but not yet a dragon whips and curls across the surface of this scroll with immense energy. While the poem suggests gradual change, Toryu’s passionate manner of painting instead implies a rapid transformation. The result is an exciting dance between text and image, and they are dancing somewhere between abstract and realism.
About the Artist
Toryu (1758 - 1838) was a Soto Zen scholar monk, abbot of the Joan-Ji temple and later the Gotoku-Ji temple. He is an incredibly talented monk artist in painting and calligraphy. His dynamic yet very well controlled brushstrokes reminds the audience of abstract expressionists’ works.
When he found out that he could sell his works to fund his temple, he painted a lot of black plum paintings. It was his way to dedicate his life to his religion and to his temple. As a result, it is challenging to find a genuinely superb one as well as an authentic one. This work is a rare case of such.
a dream on new year’s day
a black plum tree appears
gradually changing its shape to a dragon
the dragon will invite rainfall after
our extended dry period
Every sinuous appendage lashes violently away from its body, a center that cannot hold caught in a twister of motion. The chaotic form of what is no longer a plum tree but not yet a dragon whips and curls across the surface of this scroll with immense energy. While the poem suggests gradual change, Toryu’s passionate manner of painting instead implies a rapid transformation. The result is an exciting dance between text and image, and they are dancing somewhere between abstract and realism.
About the Artist
Toryu (1758 - 1838) was a Soto Zen scholar monk, abbot of the Joan-Ji temple and later the Gotoku-Ji temple. He is an incredibly talented monk artist in painting and calligraphy. His dynamic yet very well controlled brushstrokes reminds the audience of abstract expressionists’ works.
When he found out that he could sell his works to fund his temple, he painted a lot of black plum paintings. It was his way to dedicate his life to his religion and to his temple. As a result, it is challenging to find a genuinely superb one as well as an authentic one. This work is a rare case of such.
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