Tickets
English
DonateMembership
Tickets

Portrait of Yinyuan Longqi (Ingen Ryūki)

Painting by an unidentified artist
Inscription by Mu'an Xingtao (Mokuan Shōtō) Chinese
1676
Not on view
This portrait depicts Yinyuan Longqi, the Chinese Chan master who, in 1661, founded the Manpukuji Temple outside Kyoto. Likenesses such as this one would have been displayed and venerated during Buddhist ceremonies and memorial services. The eulogistic inscription is by Yinyuan’s direct disciple Mu’an Xingtao, whose celebrated calligraphy recalls both the religious and the brush-writing mentorship of his master. It reads:

Firmly grasping a staff, he directly points out that a person has no perceptible form.
Nor does a name reflect one’s true identity, which is imperceptible. This truly benevolent person naturally reveals his inherent moral virtue. Upon a sudden understanding of monastic teachings, we can start to perceive things beyond the workaday world.
—Adapted from Jonathan Chaves

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 木庵性瑫賛　隠元隆琦像
  • Title: Portrait of Yinyuan Longqi (Ingen Ryūki)
  • Artist: Painting by an unidentified artist , active late 17th century
  • Artist: Inscription by Mu'an Xingtao (Mokuan Shōtō) (Chinese, 1611–1684)
  • Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
  • Date: 1676
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 47 in. × 22 3/4 in. (119.4 × 57.8 cm)
    Overall with mounting: 76 1/4 × 27 15/16 in. (193.7 × 71 cm)
    Overall with knobs: 76 1/4 × 30 1/4 in. (193.7 × 76.8 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Brooke Russell Astor Bequest, 2015
  • Object Number: 2015.3
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Water-Moon Avalokiteshvara, Unidentified artist, Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk, Korea
Water-Moon Avalokiteshvara
Unidentified artist
14th century
Helmet (<i>Zukinnari Kabuto</i>), Iron, lacquer, Japanese
Helmet (Zukinnari Kabuto)
Japanese
16th century
Grapevine and Squirrels, Unidentified artist, Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, Korea
Grapevine and Squirrels
Unidentified artist
early 19th century
Portrait of Shun'oku Myōha, Unidentified artist Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk, Japan
Portrait of Shun'oku Myōha
Unidentified artist
ca. 1383
Armor (<i>Gusoku</i>), Saotome Ietada Japanese, Iron, lacquer, silk, gilt copper, Japanese
Armor (Gusoku)
Armorer Helmet bowl signed Saotome Ietada
Armorer Breastplate inscribed inside, Myōchin Munesuke
16th and 18th centuries

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.