This hand-painted original shikishi by 河野太通 (Taitsū Kōno) presents a quietly powerful image of a sheep rendered in expressive sumi ink. With a few confident, fluid brushstrokes, the artist captures the rounded body, gentle stance, and distinctive curled horns of the animal, balancing abstraction with recognizability.
Above the figure, bold calligraphy is brushed with rhythmic energy, its varying line weight reflecting the movement and breath of the artist’s hand. The calligraphy and image are in harmonious dialogue, a hallmark of traditional Japanese literati painting, where word and image share equal expressive weight.
Taitsū Kōno is a distinguished Rinzai Zen Buddhist priest, artist, author, and humanitarian. Born in Ōita Prefecture in 1930, he was ordained at Shōganji Temple in Nakatsu at the age of 18. After graduating from Hanazono University in 1953, he entered intensive monastic training at Shōfukuji, Japan’s oldest Zen temple, under the revered Master Yamada Mumon Rōshi.
In 2004, he became chief priest of Ryumonji Temple in Himeji, establishing the Ryumonji Zen Dojo as a center of practice. From 2010, he served as the 33rd chief priest of the Myōshinji branch of the Rinzai sect and as president of the All Japan Buddhist Association. As an artist and spiritual teacher, Kōno continues to hold monthly Mumeikai Zen meetings, a tradition passed down from his teacher, Yamada Mumon.
Size: 24 x 27cm
