Buddhist Aphorism
Suda Kokuta, Buddhist Aphorism, 1975, hanging scroll; ink on paper, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, © unknown, research required, 2011.87.2
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- Title
Buddhist Aphorism
- Related Titles
original language: 書
- Artist
- Date
1975
- Medium
hanging scroll; ink on paper
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
painting: 36 3/4 x 16 7/8 in.; mounting: 62 x 17 3/4 in.
- Inscriptions & Markings
text transcription: 輪廻業劫鬼獣狂畜 [Rinne gyôgô kijû kyôchiku (As the karmic wheel turns for aeons, A demon, beast, maniac or farm animal!)], ink, recto Transliteration (Translation): Rinne gyôgô kijû kyôchiku (As the karmic wheel turns for aeons, A demon, beast, maniac or farm animal!)
seal: undeciphered, lower left
signature: 剋, brush, lower left Transliteration (Translation): Koku (Koku) Language: Japanese
- Collection Area
Asian Art
- Category
Calligraphy
- Object Type
hanging scroll
- Culture
Japanese
- Credit Line
Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles
- Accession Number
2011.87.2
- Copyright
© unknown, research required
- Terms
Suda Kokuta is a well-known modern painter who worked in oils. He idolized Van Gogh, and after failing four times to be admitted to Tokyo University of the Arts, he taught himself to paint. Over the course of his career he worked in both representational and abstract styles, always with feverish brushwork. In late life he turned increasingly to Zen for inspiration, as illustrated in this work of calligraphy. The text, as translated by Jonathan Chaves, reads,
!T!!T!As the karmic wheel turns for aeons, !T!!T!A demon, beast, maniac or farm animal!