Chinese Farewell Verse (Important Cultural Property)

Gulin Qingmao was an important Yuan-dynasty (1271-1368) Chinese Zen monk, known for developing literary expressions, primarily Buddhist verses (J., geju), which explain the state of enlightenment, in the world of Zen. In his later years, Gulin became the head priest of Baoning Temple on Mount Jinling Fentai, where many Japanese monks, including Sekishitsu Zenkyu of Chikuzen Province (present day Fukuoka Prefecture), went to study under him. This certificate of completion was presented to Un'yu Zenjin (n.d.), a Japanese monk of the Lanqi Daolong lineage, as a parting gift. The opening passage, "You have traveled ten thousand li to reach Fengtai," praises the Japanese monk's devotion to Zen. Though written when Gulin was age sixty-five, his brushwork shows strength and a free, magnanimous style, making this verse a representative example among his known calligraphy.