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ArtistJapanese, 1685–1768
Japanese

Calligraphy about Anger

18th century
Hanging scroll; ink on paper
Image: 33 7/8 × 10 5/8 in. (86 × 27 cm) Scroll: 65 3/4 × 14 1/4 × 1 in. (167 × 36.2 × 2.5 cm) Storage box: 2 7/8 × 15 3/16 × 3 1/16 in. (7.3 × 38.6 × 7.8 cm)
The Gitter-Yelen Collection, museum purchase funded by the Brown Foundation Accessions Endowment Fund
2021.226
ProvenanceResearch Ongoing

This scroll represents one of the finest examples of Hakuin’s calligraphy, showcasing his uniquely choppy and energetic style. It transcribes a passage on anger by the Japanese monk Kokan Shiren (1278–1347) as recorded in volume seven of Kokan’s anthology Saihokushū. The passage notes that anger can erupt as the result of unclear principle, or not being true to oneself, or lacking virtue. It uses Neo-Confucian language to analyze a time-honored Buddhist theme, the nature of attachments. Hakuin transcribed this passage on at least one other occasion, suggesting that he was quite taken by it.

—Yukio Lippit