Minneapolis Institute of Art

Priest Riding a Donkey

attributed to Kano Naonobu

Date

17th century

Medium

Hanging scroll, ink on paper

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

About 1, 000 years ago, a Chinese monk named Yushanzhu is said to have attained enlightenment when he fell off his donkey while crossing a bridge—the physical jolt that spiritually awakened him. Here, Yushanzhu (in Japanese: Ikuzanshu) tilts his head up to gaze at a branch extending from a cliff face while his donkey trots along. Kano Naonobu rendered Yushanzhu, the donkey, and the outcropping in just a few brushstrokes and splashes of ink wash, a style of painting derived from Chinese ink painting, which was the specialty of the Kano workshop of painters. Asia

The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.