These two portraits of monks, one resting by a river, the other laying down his staff, reflect the style of the Zen painters of the Unkoku School, who saw them­selves as the artistic heirs to the great master painter Sesshū Tōyō (c. 1420–1506), with a style characterized by strong, sharp lines, soft gray ink washes, and a shallow sense of depth within their compositions. Primarily patronized by warlords, the Unkoku School painters represent the long-standing connection of the warrior class with Zen Buddhism.

 

—Bradley Bailey