Portrait of Tōran Sōtaku 東瀾宗澤 (1640-1707)
Kita Genki喜多元規 (active c. 1663-1709)
Self-eulogy
Japan, Edo Period (1615-1868)
Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk
106.5 x 47 cm; 196.5 x 60.5 cm (mounted)
Collection of Stuart Katz
Predestined to be born in the country of Min [Fujian],
I lived in Mulberry Heaven [Japan];
Silent, silent without one word, a bell seemed to sound.
Twenty years ago I traversed the vast sea,
With my long staff I examined snakes and dragons.
Inscribed by the mountain monk Tōran at Reishū (‘Spirit of Vulture Peak’)
—trans. adapted from Howard Rogers