Tenjin is a Shinto deity associated with scholarship and learning. He was an ideal subject for the refined court minister Konoe Nobutada, who conjured the god’s image using only a few spare yet confident brushstrokes that suggest a flowing robe. It is said that Nobutada so admired the deity that he painted a portrait of Tenjin each day upon waking, a tale supported by the existence of numerous such works by Nobutada. While not strictly a Zen portrait, this example clearly illustrates the intersections of the refined arts of poetry, literature, and calligraphy with the robust painting traditions of Zen portraiture.

 

—Bradley Bailey