Lot 66: ISSHI MONJU (1608-1646) Hotei with Umbrella Edo period (1615-1868), second quarter of the 17th century

ISSHI MONJU (1608-1646)
Hotei with Umbrella
Edo period (1615-1868), second quarter of the 17th century
Hanging scroll, ink on paper; depicting Hotei with his sack in his left
hand and an umbrella in his right, with seal Isshi
With wood tomobako 15 3/4 x 11 3/4in (40 x 30cm)

Provenance
John Stevens Collection
In 1626 Isshi Monju was ordained a monk of the Shingon sect of
esoteric Buddhism but in the following year converted to the Rinzai sect
of Zen under the influence of the famed master Takuan. He became the
favored teacher of Emperor GoMizuno-o and associated with Kobori
Enshu, Shokado Shojo, and other Kyoto cultural luminaries of the day.
Isshi was also a master of the tea ceremony. As we can see in this scroll,
his technical ability was on the level of a professional artist. The quality of
the painting is superb, the smile on Hotei’s face expressing pure Zen joy.