Paired Ink Drawings of the Zen Hermits Hanshan and Shide (Hanshan)

Tengan Chiben (1737-1805) was a Zen monk of the Rinzai sect in the late Edo period. He lived at Onsenji Temple in Shinano and also revitalized Kōgakuji Temple in Kai. He excelled in Zen paintings of Śākyamuni, Dharma, Hanshan and Shide, Budai, and more.

This ink drawing depicts the legendary Tang dynasty hermits Hanshan and Shide. The two hermits lived in seclusion at Guoqing Temple on Mount Tiantaishan (Zhejiang Province). Although they appeared to be beggars, their words and deeds were believed to be connected to the Buddha’s Mind. Hanshan was considered an incarnation of Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva and Shide of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. It is said that Hanshan suddenly appeared to Shide while he was working as a rice cook on Mt. Tiantaishan. The ‘Hanshan and Shide’ theme, based on the eccentric behavior of Hanshan and Shide, is much favored in Zen temples, and there are many examples of its creation. In general, Hanshan is depicted holding a sutra scroll or brush, and Shide is depicted holding a broom or pointing to the heavens.

Shide’s inscription is from the “Cold Mountain Poems (The Poetry of Hanshan).” Looking at the moon over Mount Tiantai, Hanshan wrote, ‘My present state of mind is as perfect as the autumn moon, reflected and shining in the azure abyss. But this is a metaphor, and in the end, it cannot be compared to anything, nor can it be explained in words.’ The poem compares his mind of enlightenment without hesitation to the autumn moon and describes its inexpressible splendor. The source of this inscription is unknown, and it is not found in the “Cold Mountain Poems.”