Visiting the World of Landscape Painting and Touching the Zen State of Mind

風揺秋水絶漁蹤、波上客船遊興濃、夜半楓橋夢驚処、寒山月落一声鐘

As the autumn waters sway in the wind and the wakes of fishing boats have vanished, the banquet on the boat where I, a traveler, reside is at its height. (After it ended) at the Maple Bridge in the middle of the night, when I suddenly awoke from a dream, the moon was setting over Hanshan Temple and the sound of a bell was echoing.

(Transcription and commentary of the Chinese poem by Professor Takashi Horikawa, Institute of Oriental Classics (Shido Bunko))

This poem, composed by Sesshin Tohaku (1383–1459) for this painting, is based on Zhang Ji's poem "Mooring at Night by the Maple Bridge." "Mooring at Night by the Maple Bridge" was included in the "Santishi" (Three Styles of Poems), which was widely read as an introductory text for poetry in the Gozan (Five Mountains) Zen temples during the Muromachi period. Among Japanese Zen monks, various imaginative interpretations were made regarding the protagonist's situation and feelings. One such interpretation suggests that since Gusu (Suzhou) was a central city in the Jiangnan region with an entertainment district and many courtesans, the protagonist might have spent the night alone because his courtesan was taken by another boat. The phrase "the revelry is at its height" in Sesshin's poem is likely based on this interpretation.

A work similar to this one in both painting style and inscription exists in the Burke Collection. The Burke Collection piece bears the seal of "Shusei," suggesting that this painting was likely created by the same artist. Shusei may have been a warrior-painter from Mino, the same hometown as Sesshin, or it is possible that the work is a self-inscribed painting by Sesshin himself. Looking closely at the painting, a pagoda can be seen atop the mountain in the upper right of the screen. This is the pagoda of Hanshan Temple, from which the sound of the bell likely originates. A boat is moored at the foot of the bridge, and on the opposite bank, there are trees with reddish-brown autumn leaves. There are several buildings, and human figures can be seen inside. Although the time in the poem is midnight, the sky appears to be whitening, suggesting it may be closer to dawn. By using one's imagination alongside the poem, one can vicariously experience the loneliness felt by the traveler when, after the revelry, he wakes up to the sound of the bell in the now-quiet boat and gazes at the scenery outside.

This work can be viewed at the exhibition "Tokiwayama Bunko x Keio University: Gayu—The Zen Gaze Across Time and Space" (running until December 1). We hope you will enter the world of the paintings in the gallery and enjoy the experience of imagining your own stories (Gayu).

(Fumi Matsutani, Keio Museum Commons)