Currently not on view
Staff,
1921
Nakahara Nantenbō
中原南天棒, 1839–1925
Japanese
Taishō era, 1912–1926
2008-157
Born to a samurai family, the Zen Buddhist master Nantenbō acquired his nickname from his imposing staff (bo), which was cut from a type of bamboo (nanten) and used to train students. Nantenbō would present his students with a Zen koan riddle; if their replies were insufficient, they would be disciplined under Nantenbo’s famous warning: "Whether you speak or not, thirty blows from my staff!" Nantenbō developed a highly regarded individualistic style of painting and calligraphy, which he practiced as a way of expressing the Zen spirit that lies beyond words. One of the most fascinating painting subjects for Nantenbō was the nanten staff.
Information
Title
Staff
Dates
1921
Maker
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink on paper
Dimensions
Painting: 121.5 × 32.4 cm (47 13/16 × 12 3/4 in.)
Mount: 192 x 45.6 cm. (75 9/16 x 17 15/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Kurt A. Gitter in honor of Yoshiaki Shimizu, Graduate School Class of 1975
Object Number
2008-157
Place Made
Asia, Japan
Inscription
Inscribed: この棒に恐るものは極樂行
八十三翁南天棒書
Marks/Labels/Seals
Artist, “Nantembo” rectangular intaglio, top right
Artist, “Hakugaikutsu,” 白崖窟, square intaglio, upper seal on bottom left
Artist, “Tōshū” 鄧州, square relief, lower seal on bottom left
Culture
Period
Materials
Subject
–2008 Gitter-Yelen Collection (New Orleans, LA), by gift to the Princeton University Art Museum, 2008.
