Publisher's Synopsis
Focusing on forty-seven exceptional Japanese and Chinese paintings from the 12th to the 16th centurieswhich together illustrate the story of the awakening” of Zen artthe book features essays by distinguished scholars that discuss the life and art within Zen monastic and lay communities. The authors explore the ideology underlying the development of Zen's own pantheon of characters created to imagine the Buddha's wisdom and offer fresh insights into the role of the visual arts within Zen practice as it developed in Japan in close dialogue with the Asian continent.