The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 21, 2025

Vertically long white paper with two columns of black-ink Chinese characters. The left column begins with streaking characters, before narrowing to smaller, solid swoops of black ink characters. In the lower left, two square, red ink stamps, the upper depicting white characters on red, and the lower red on white. The right column features large, sometimes solid, sometimes streaking characters with a rectangular red stamp with white characters on red in the upper right corner.

My Spirit Is Like the Spring Wind and Autumn Moon

1968

Bundō Shunkai

(Japanese, 1878–1970)
Japan, Shōwa period (1926–89)
Ink on paper
Overall: 182 x 62 cm (71 5/8 x 24 7/16 in.)
Gift of Ms. Sato Bundo 1984.219
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Bundō Shunkai was recognized as a Person of Cultural Merit by the Japanese government in 1967.

Description

A Tendai school Buddhist monk who sought parallels to human experience in nature, Bundō Shunkai brushed the phrase, "my spirit is like the spring wind and autumn moon." Born in Okayama and active in Tokyo, Shunkai played a strong role in the calligraphy world of his era, including advocating for the inclusion of a calligraphy category in exhibitions sponsored by the Japanese government.
  • 1968–1984
    Bundō family collection, Tokyo, Japan, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1984–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, and Sŏn Sŭng-hye. The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2011. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 94-95, no. 94
  • Contemporary Calligraphy and Clay. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7, 2024-June 15, 2025).
    The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 15-August 21, 2011).
    Year in Review for 1984. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 3-May 5, 1985).
  • {{cite web|title=My Spirit Is Like the Spring Wind and Autumn Moon|url=false|author=Bundō Shunkai|year=1968|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1984.219