Humility
Monchū Jōfuku聞中浄復 (1739-1829)
Japan, Edo Period (1615-1868)
Hanging scroll; ink on paper
118 x 27.8 cm; 186 x 35 cm (mounted)
Collection of Stuart Katz
勞⽽不伐有功⽽不德厚之⾄也
（司？）處僧聞中寫
Don’t be prideful of your accomplishments.
Even if they are significant achievements,
Do not assume they show your virtue.
Humility is your most valuable asset.
—trans. Yamaguchi Junsei
Monchū Jōfuku was an Ōbaku monk, painter, and calligrapher. He was an acquaintance of
the celebrated painter Itō Jakuchū, and an admirer of the Ōbaku monk Baisaō who founded
the sencha tea ceremony. Jōfuku became an influential sencha tea master in his own right.