“At the end, all those idlers who lazily fool around, spending their money vainly and not respecting their parents will look like this: very hungry.”¹

Daitō Kokushi (c. 1283–c. 1338), born Shūhō Myōchō, was the founding abbot of Daitokuji, one of Japan’s most important Rinzai Zen temples, in Kyoto. An important figure in the Rinzai lineage, he was also a Zen prodigy, achieving enlightenment after only ten days of koan study. Daitō was an important figure for Hakuin, who wrote numerous commentaries on the master’s texts. Despite this reverence, Hakuin’s painting lightly satirizes Daitō, showing him begging for food and alms, a common practice for Zen monks, and his inscription humorously feigns ignorance about Daitō’s true identity and enlightenment.

—Bradley Bailey