Kokei Sansho - Kokei Sansho

A Japanese-Chinese painting theme that deals with historical events in China. During the Eastern Jin Dynasty of the Six Dynasties in China, there was a scholar monk named Huiyuan (334-416) who lived in Lushan, Jiangxi Province, a place famous for its scenic beauty and Buddhist sacred grounds. He founded the White Lotus Society and, hoping to reach eternal life in the west, did not leave the mountains for 30 years. One day, Tao Yuanming and Lu Xiujing visited him for a chat, and as they were leaving, Huiyuan went to see them off, but they never ran out of things to talk about, and when they realized they had passed several hundred steps over the Tiger River, the three clapped their hands and laughed heartily. This Zen-flavoured subject matter became a favourite ink painting after Zen Buddhism spread in Japan, and examples of this subject include works by Sesshu, Soga Chokuan, Kano Sanraku, and Ike Taiga.

[Shinichi Nagai]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

日本・中国画の画題で、中国の故事を扱ったもの。中国六朝(りくちょう)の東晋(とうしん)に、景勝地また仏教の霊場として名高い江西省廬山(ろざん)に慧遠(えおん)（334―416）という学僧がおり、白蓮社(びゃくれんしゃ)を結成、西方往生を期し、30年の間、山を出なかった。ある日、陶淵明(とうえんめい)と陸修静の両人が彼を訪ねて清談し、両人の帰る際、慧遠は送りに出たが、話が尽きず、いつもは虎渓に架かる石橋を出たことがないのに、気づいたときには、虎渓を数百歩も過ぎていたので、3人は手を打って大いに笑ったという。この禅味のこもった題材は、日本では禅宗が広まってから水墨画に好んで描かれるようになり、雪舟、曽我直庵(そがちょくあん)、狩野山楽(かのうさんらく)、池大雅(いけのたいが)の作品がある。

［永井信一］

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