Yishan Yining (1247–1317)
Verse to Attain the Sublime in Continuous Flow
Ink on paper, hanging scroll
With box authentication and note of interpretation by Tayama Honan
24.2 x 48.5 cm
105 x 61 cm (overall)
With box authentication and note of interpretation by Tayama Honan
24.2 x 48.5 cm
105 x 61 cm (overall)
Further images
Provenance
Saijo Matsudaira Clan CollectionExhibitions
Shishaku Matsudaira-ke gozoki nyusatsu. Kyoto: Kyoto Bijutsu Kurabu, 1924.
Yishan Yining’s emigration to Japan occurred during a time when the Mongol Empire under Kublai Khan had established the Yuan dynasty in China and attempted the invasion of Japan. A first campaign in 1274 ended in failure when a storm destroyed most of the Mongol fleet. In 1283, a delegation from China led by the Chan monk Yuxi Ruzhi from Guanyinsi temple on Putuoshan Island (near Hangzhou) was dispatched to demand tribute payments, a request that was flatly rejected by the Japanese. Yishan was a native of the same village as Yuxi Ruzhi, and he became Yuxi’s successor at Guanyinsi in 1294. In 1298, the new leader of the Mongols, Temür Khan, initiated another delegation to demand tribute, yet Yuxi Ruzhi declined to participate because of his advanced age. Hence, the choice to lead the delegation fell on Yishan. The Khan sent a special envoy to Guanyinsi, offering Yishan golden robes of honor and the title Miaoci Hongji Dashi (Great Teacher of Wondrous Mercy and Compassion). Yishan had no other option but to accept.
The delegation also included Xijian Zitan (1249–1306), a Chan priest with previous experience in Japan. Traveling on a Japanese merchant ship, they arrived in Daizaifu in the following year of 1299. Yet Hojo Sadatoki (1272–1311), the regent of the shogun, was suspicious of their motives and initially confined them to the temple Shuzenji on the Izu peninsula. After getting to know them better, Sadatoki realized the value of these men and in late 1299 appointed Yishan the ninth abbot of Kenchoji, and Xijian the sixth abbot of Engakuji, both important Zen temples in Kamakura. Later, Yishan moved to kyoto and became the third abbot of Nanzenji, at that time the highest-ranking temple of the Kyoto Five Mountain system. In his final years, he instructed the Retired Emperor and attracted many courtiers. Yishan fell ill in the tenth month of 1317; on the twenty-fourth of that month, Yishan composed a parting poem: “My life complete, I take my final breath / An arrow already released from the bow, I soar into the void.” He died on the same day.
Yishan Yining excelled in scholarship and the literary arts, and in this regard exerted considerable influence on Japanese culture. He counts as one of the most important authors of the Five Mountain literature and contributed to the spread of Neo-Confucianism in Japan. The Five Mountain literature also served as an important vehicle for the introduction of Song-style calligraphy in Japan.
This scroll, Verse to Attain the Sublime in Continuous Flow, is listed in the chapter on poems of Volume 2 of Recorded Sayings of Issan Kokushi. The scroll in this list is immediately followed by a poem by Retired Emperor Go-Uda, written on his visit to the temple Jisaiin, dated 1316 when Yishan was seventy. Therefore, it likely dates to around the same time during the final years of Yishan’s life. The approximate meaning of the verse is “Performing my daily duties without complaint and or neglect - my mind and body are at peace to see the sublime truth,” implying that profound truths hide within the mundane, an attitude that is emblematic for the practitioners of the Zen religion.
As the text is written from left to right, we must assume it was possibly once the right scroll of a pair. There are no characters missing, but the writing seems faint, indicating that attempts to clean the surface from dirt were undertaken, rubbing off some of the ink. This may have also led to damages to the paper ground, hence the conservational state once used to be critical. Fortunately, the scroll underwent careful restoration and is now once more in a stable and beautiful condition.
Yishan Yining (Chan priest; 1247–1317)
A native of Linhai in modern Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, Yishan played a critical role in the spread of Zen Buddhism in Japan in the late Kamakura period. After his arrival in Japan, Yishan joined Kenchoji temple in Kamakura, then became affiliated with Engakuji and Jochiji temples. He eventually rose to the position of third abbot of Nanzenji temple in Kyoto. Highly erudite and fond of the arts, Yishan’s teaching inspired many of his followers to contribute to the flourishing of the Literature of the Five Mountains (Gozan bungaku).
The delegation also included Xijian Zitan (1249–1306), a Chan priest with previous experience in Japan. Traveling on a Japanese merchant ship, they arrived in Daizaifu in the following year of 1299. Yet Hojo Sadatoki (1272–1311), the regent of the shogun, was suspicious of their motives and initially confined them to the temple Shuzenji on the Izu peninsula. After getting to know them better, Sadatoki realized the value of these men and in late 1299 appointed Yishan the ninth abbot of Kenchoji, and Xijian the sixth abbot of Engakuji, both important Zen temples in Kamakura. Later, Yishan moved to kyoto and became the third abbot of Nanzenji, at that time the highest-ranking temple of the Kyoto Five Mountain system. In his final years, he instructed the Retired Emperor and attracted many courtiers. Yishan fell ill in the tenth month of 1317; on the twenty-fourth of that month, Yishan composed a parting poem: “My life complete, I take my final breath / An arrow already released from the bow, I soar into the void.” He died on the same day.
Yishan Yining excelled in scholarship and the literary arts, and in this regard exerted considerable influence on Japanese culture. He counts as one of the most important authors of the Five Mountain literature and contributed to the spread of Neo-Confucianism in Japan. The Five Mountain literature also served as an important vehicle for the introduction of Song-style calligraphy in Japan.
This scroll, Verse to Attain the Sublime in Continuous Flow, is listed in the chapter on poems of Volume 2 of Recorded Sayings of Issan Kokushi. The scroll in this list is immediately followed by a poem by Retired Emperor Go-Uda, written on his visit to the temple Jisaiin, dated 1316 when Yishan was seventy. Therefore, it likely dates to around the same time during the final years of Yishan’s life. The approximate meaning of the verse is “Performing my daily duties without complaint and or neglect - my mind and body are at peace to see the sublime truth,” implying that profound truths hide within the mundane, an attitude that is emblematic for the practitioners of the Zen religion.
As the text is written from left to right, we must assume it was possibly once the right scroll of a pair. There are no characters missing, but the writing seems faint, indicating that attempts to clean the surface from dirt were undertaken, rubbing off some of the ink. This may have also led to damages to the paper ground, hence the conservational state once used to be critical. Fortunately, the scroll underwent careful restoration and is now once more in a stable and beautiful condition.
Yishan Yining (Chan priest; 1247–1317)
A native of Linhai in modern Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, Yishan played a critical role in the spread of Zen Buddhism in Japan in the late Kamakura period. After his arrival in Japan, Yishan joined Kenchoji temple in Kamakura, then became affiliated with Engakuji and Jochiji temples. He eventually rose to the position of third abbot of Nanzenji temple in Kyoto. Highly erudite and fond of the arts, Yishan’s teaching inspired many of his followers to contribute to the flourishing of the Literature of the Five Mountains (Gozan bungaku).