Paired Ink Drawing of Hanshan and Shide (Hanshan)

It was painted by Zuikō Chingyū (1743-1822) and inscribed by Gōchō (1749-1835).

Zuikō Chingyū (1743-1822) was a Sōtō Zen monk during the late Edo period. He was born in Higo Province. In Bunka 4 (1817), he opened Manshōji Temple in Nagoya at the request of Tokugawa Naritomo, the Daimyō (Japanese military lord) of Owari domain. In Bunsei 3 (1820), he retired to Keiunken in the same province. He was a Sōtō Zen monk who excelled in calligraphy and painting, representing the latter half of the Edo period. In addition to his many calligraphies and paintings, he also made illustrations for Dōgen’s biographies, such as “Teiho Kenzeikizue” and “Eihei Dōgen Zenji Gyōjōzue,” and he contributed to the popularization of Dōgen’s pictorial biographies.

Gōchō was a Tendai sect monk during the late Edo period. He was born in Higo Province. He excelled in calligraphy, painting, poetry, and song, and built a number of Hōkyōintō (small memorial towers topped with a spire) in various places; there are said to be more than 2,000 of them. He was in contact with Zen monks such as Zuikō Chingyū and Sengai Gibon, as well as with court noble, military family, and literati.
In Bunka 14 (1817), Gōchō was invited from Higo Province to Nagoya to pray for the healing of the illness of Tokugawa Naritomo, the Daimyō (Japanese military lord) of Nagoya domain. Later, he served as the resident priest of Iwayadera Temple in Chita and Chōeiji Temple, a place of prayer for the demon gate of Nagoya Castle.

This painting is a joint work by Chingyū and Gōchō, two of the leading Zen painter-monks of the time. It was painted in Bunsei 2 (1819), when Chingyū was at Banshōji Temple and Gōchō was at Iwayadera Temple. Gōchō’s invitation to Nagoya was largely based on Chingyū’s recommendation.

Hanshan and Shide, the subjects of the painting, were legendary hermits of the Tang dynasty who lived in Guoqing Temple on Mt. Tiantai in Zhejiang Province. Although they looked like beggars, their words and deeds were connected to the Buddha’s will, and it was said that Hanshan was an incarnation of Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva and Shide was of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. It is said that Hanshan suddenly appeared to Shide, who was working as a rice cook on Mt. Tiantai.
The ‘Hanshan and Shide,’ which is based on the crazy anecdotes about Hanshan and Shide, was much favored in Zen temples, and there are many examples of its creation. As shown in this painting, Hanshan is often depicted holding a sutra scroll (or brush) and Shide is often depicted holding a broom (or pointing towards the heavens).