Seven-character Quatrain, “Tao Yuanming Getting a Drink with His Headscarf”

Sakugen Shūryō (1501-1579) was a Zen monk of the Rinzai sect during the Sengoku period. He was also known as Kensai, Kiin, and others. He traveled twice to the Ming Dynasty as an envoy on behalf of Ōuchi Yoshitaka. It is said that he was trusted by Sengoku Daimyō (Japanese military lord) such as Ōuchi Yoshitaka and Oda Nobunaga. It was he who selected the name of Gifu at the request of Oda Nobunaga. Upon the request of Takeda Shingen, he resided at Erinji Temple in Kai. Later, he retired to Tenryūji Myōchiin Temple. The record of his travels is clearly documented in “Sakugen Nyūminki,” a valuable historical document on trade between Japan and the Ming Dynasty (designated as a National Important Cultural Property and owned by Myōchiin Temple). He excelled in poetry and writing, and authored “Kensai Shishū” and other works. He was a Zen monk who, along with Ninjo Shūgyō, contributed to the final period of the Five Mountain’s literature.

The six works: ‘Tao Yuanming Getting a Drink with His Headscarf,’ ‘Li Mi Rides an Ox, Using the Horns for His Bookstand,’ ‘Swallows on a Willow Tree,’ ‘Pigeons in Sun and Snow,’ ‘Fei Zhangfang’s Stick Becomes a Dragon,’ and ‘Sakugen Shūryō’s Seven-character quatrain (subject unknown)’—are all attributed to Sakugen Shūryō.
Five of these works are featured in the ‘Sakugen Oshō Shishū’ and are known to have been attached as compliments to paintings with specific titles. The presence of traces of gold-ground mountings and the similar paper size suggest that these six works were originally affixed to the tops of the paintings, likely serving as compliments for folding screens. Notably, four of them are included in the ‘Sakugen Oshō Shishū,’ indicating that they were Bokuseki (calligraphy) with some meaningful context.