Ink Drawing of Tenjin (the Deified Sugawara no Michizane) in China

Butsujō Jisen (1798-1870) was a Zen monk of the Sōtō sect of Zen in the late Edo period and early Meiji era. He was also known as Ryūkadōjin. In Tenpō 6 (1835) he became a resident priest at Chōtokuji Temple in Nagato Province, and in Kaei 1 (1848) he moved to Jiunji Temple and Eisenji Temple in Iwami Province. On the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the death of Dōgen, he was in charge of teaching trainee monks and promoting the Buddhist memorial service. In Keiō 3 (1867), he served as the resident priest of Sagami Saijōji Temple.

This is a drawing of Tenjin (the Deified Sugawara no Michizane). Butsujō excelled in Taoist and Buddhist painting, and painted in a wide range of styles from light and caricatural style to detailed.

The rich colors of these paintings are a good example of Butsujō’s painting style. In this painting, the Kesa bag is visible at the waist, while in the painting of the Tenjin by Ugan, the Kesa bag is not depicted because it is facing left.