Sparrows and Bamboo

Shiken Saidō, whose style name was Ze'an, was a Zen monk who trained at Shōkokuji temple in Kyoto, and designed the garden of Reiun’in at Myōshinji temple. He painted landscapes in the style of painter and art advisor to the shogun, Sōami (died 1525), as well as bird-and-flower compositions. A poetic inscription by the monk Ekkei Reikaku accompanies this gentle composition of two sparrows perched on bamboo.

A horizontally oriented ink painting on aged paper sparsely depicts two sparrows on a bamboo branch sweeping from the upper left. One bird perches higher, looking down, while the other sits lower, facing right. Varied tones from gray to deep black define the scene. Vertical columns of calligraphy and a red stamp appear on the right (see "Inscriptions"), with another red seal in the lower left corner.

Sparrows and Bamboo

mid- to late 1500s

Shiken Saidō, Ekkei Reikaku

(Japanese, 1486–1581), (Japanese, d. 1609)

Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573)

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