Huge cursive characters sweep down a narrow scroll

A single vertical column of large cursive characters in black ink runs the full height of the sheet, thick wet strokes trailing into dry, wind-blown lines as the brush moves quickly down the page. An oval red seal sits beside the top character. Lower down at the right, a column of smaller signature characters is followed by two red seals stacked one above the other, a dense filled square seal above a finer-lined one. The sheet is the right panel of a triptych of single-line calligraphies, dated 1690.

The original: a single-line calligraphy, one of a triptych, ink on paper, Japan, 1690, in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis.

Gaoquan Xingdun (1633–1696) was a Chinese Zen monk who moved to Japan in 1661. He became a central figure in the early development of the Ōbaku school of Zen. In Japanese Zen, handwritten texts by teachers were treasured as bokuseki, or ink traces of the master, and displayed in monasteries. His work, including a triptych of scrolls dated 1690 bearing five-character Zen maxims, is held by the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Printed as a museum-grade giclée on Hahnemühle fine art paper using 12-ink archival pigment printing. Available handframed in FSC-certified wood with optional float glass, or unframed. Ships worldwide with free delivery to 30+ countries.