Portrait of Miyun Yuanwu by Kita Genki, With Inscription by Yinyuan Longqi

This is a chinzō (portrait) by the painter Kita Genki, with an inscription by Yinyuan Longqi (1592-1673). The model for the statue, Miyun Yuanwu (1566-1642), was the teacher of Feiyin Tongrong and both a grandson and disciple of Miyun, having studied under him. His style was admired by many and was characterized by the training method of receiving slaps with a stick during preaching.

Kita Genki, who painted this chinzō, is highly regarded as the leading artist of Ōbaku portraits. He created many chinzōs of successive Ōbaku patriarchs, including Yinyuan, Muan, Jifei, and others. Although the exact dates of his birth, death, and career remain unknown, he is believed to be either a son or disciple of Kita Dōku (?-1663), another portrait painter of the Ōbaku lineage. His works can be dated between Kanbun 3 (1663), the year of Dōku’s death, and Hōei 6 (1709). This chinzō is considered one of his earlier works, symbolizing the Ōbaku portrait style with its vivid colors and three-dimensional expression achieved through Western-style shading.

Yinyuan’s inscription praises Miyun’s virtuousness, represents the seventy-seven years of his life, and alludes to the spread of Dharma across the sea by his twelve disciples, including Yinyuan, who underwent strict training, including the use of the stick.