Monday, December 4, 2017

Jiun Sonja's 慈雲尊者 Calligraphy at Philadelphia Museum of Art


Philadelphia Museum of Art has a piece of calligraphy of Onkō Jiun飲光慈雲 , Japanese, 1718 - 1804, commonly known as Jiun Sonja. It is the title of the Lotus Sutra. See below for detailed cataloging description.


Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law (Myōhō Renge-kyō)

Onkō Jiun飲光慈雲 , Japanese, 1718 - 1804

Geography:
Made in Japan, Asia
Period:
Edo Period (1615-1868)
Date:
Late 18th century
Medium:
Ink on paper; mounted as a hanging scroll
Dimensions:
6 feet 9 inches × 26 1/2 inches (205.7 × 67.3 cm) Image: 48 7/16 × 22 5/8 inches (123 × 57.5 cm)
Curatorial Department:
East Asian Art
Object Location:
Currently not on view

Accession Number:
2002-198-1
Credit Line:

Purchased with the Hollis Family Foundation Fund, 2002
Label:

One the most talented and individualistic of Edo period calligraphers, Jiun was trained as a Buddhist monk and became renowned for his studies of the Sanskrit language. Jiun's calligraphy is most influenced by the brushwork of the Öbaku Zen monks, known as bokuseki (ink traces), although he seems consciously to ignore the rules of calligraphy in his free and idiosyncratic handling of ink and brush. The five-character inscription of this calligraphy reads myöhö renge-kyö, or Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, referring to the canonical Buddhist text more popularly known simply as the Lotus Sutra.

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