This triptych presents an odd trio: Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion, flanked by two poets, the bearded Rihaku (Li Bai, in Chinese, 701–762) and Toho (Du Fu, in Chinese, 712–770), who was inspired by the famous writer Rihaku to become a wandering poet. The works of both men were highly influential in Japanese literature. Their juxtaposition on either side of a deity was not uncommon in seventeenth-century Zen painting and highlights the many influences and figures that were incorporated into the Zen Buddhist pantheon. The inscriptions on the accompanying storage box indicate that this work was either made or commissioned by a Buddhist nun, about whom little is known.

 

—Bradley Bailey