Hanshan and Shide

Early representations of Hanshan and Shide in Zen painting can be found in images depicting the "Four Sleepers." The exact creation of this theme is unclear, though it is believed to have been established as a part of Zen painting in China by the early thirteenth century. "The earliest reference known to us concerning the artistic treatment of the subject is a poem in the Rujing Heshang yulu composed by the Chinese abbot Changweng Rujing (1163-1228) for a now lost painting of the 'Four Sleepers.[7]'"

One example of early renderings of the "Four Sleepers" is by the Japanese artist Mokuan. In Mokuan's "Four Sleepers," Hanshan and Shide are seen sleeping soundly on the ground with Fenggan (the Zen master who found and raised Shide) and Fenggan's tiger. The inscription on this hanging scroll reads:

Old Old Feng-kan embraces his tiger and sleeps,
All huddled together with Shih-te and Han-shan
They dream their big dream, which lingers on,
While a frail old tree clings to the bottom of the cold precipice.

Shao-mu of the Hsiang-fu [temple] salutes with folded hands.[8]

The imagery of the Four Sleepers was made popular in Japan through paintings imported from China. Japanese interpretations of the theme emerged as early as the fourteenth century.[9]'"

Images of the Four Sleepers are meant to symbolize "peaceful coexistence with nature and the enlightened mind,[9]" as the three men sleep soundly among a tiger and outdoors, in nature. Additionally, the sleeping figures hint at a "dream world that cannot be represented on paper" or a "peacefulness of Enlightenment that cannot be attained in the waking world.[10]" Key themes of Zen Buddhism are given shape in images of the Four Sleepers, such as the non-duality of man and animal sleeping peacefully, the serenity of enlightenment, and expunging of opposite figures and forces.[7]

Hanshan and Shide are most commonly depicted with just one another. In Zen painting, the two eccentrics are typically shown laughing uproariously, frequently at a Zen joke and at the expense of the "pompous monks" at their monastery.[11] Hanshan and Shide wear shabby clothing and are easily identifiable by their scroll and broom, respectively. Over centuries, Zen painters have depicted these figures in different styles and manners, though keep to the main themes, motifs, and ideas that the pair represents.

Zen Eccentrics Hanshan and Shide by Kaō Ninga, Nanbokuchō period, 14th century, ink on paper, Tokyo National Museum

Paintings of Hanshan and Shide were favored among Zen monks following the Chinese Song Dynasty (960-1279), and grew in popularity in the 13th and 14th centuries in China and Japan.[12] During the 14th century, important Zen painters like Yintuoluo, a Chan monk born in India who lived in China during the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), created images of Hanshan and Shide that are now considered national treasures in Japan. During this period, painters followed traditional standards for figure painting, with a combination of thin and delicate lines to render their faces and thicker lines on their bodies. These images were almost always accompanied by an inscription, though not all have been translated or attributed to an author. This style of painting is also exemplified through Kao Ninga's Zen Eccentrics Hanshan and Shide, a pair of paintings depicting the figures.

Fenggan, Hanshan, and Shide by Resai, Muromachi Period, 1st half of the 15th century, ink and color on paper, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hanshan and Shide by Ike Taiga, late 18th century, ink on paper, Metropolitan Museum of Art

The subject of Hanshan and Shide remained popular in Zen painting in the 15th century. During the Muromachi Period (1392-1573) in Japan, artists like Resai experimented with color and tonality more so than in previous centuries. Resai's depiction of Hanshan and Shide is complex and contemplative, as the pair is seen on the pair on a mountain's edge with a vast space of nothingness beyond where they stand. They are shown in discussion and pointing out to the nothingness, perhaps exploring different facets of enlightenment as they often did. There are varying tones of ink, and areas are shaded and filled in. Resai stays true to common themes with Hanshan and Shide, showing their scroll, broom, joyous faces, and depicting them in nature.

Also painting during the Muromachi period was Sesshū Tōyō, who is described as the most prominent master of ink painting from this time. Sesshu Toyo's painting of Kanzan and Jittoku differs from others seen, as it is a bust length image of the two figures' faces. Sesshu Toyo pays great attention to rendering their emotions and mischievous glances, as they laugh together while Kanzan holds a blank scroll. Through this, he captures the essence of the two figures. Sesshu Toyo employs variation in ink tonalities and in the thickness of his lines. There is three dimensional modeling to the faces and hands of the figures, demonstrating a more elevated and advanced style of painting.

Representations of Hanshan and Shide remained very popular in Japan in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, and well into the 19th century.

In the late 18th century, during the Edo Period (1615–1868), Ito Jakuchu painted Hanshan and Shide (Kanzan and Jittoku). His rendition is more abstract than any of the aforementioned paintings. The figures are depicted embracing and in opposites – one in a black robe and one in a white robe, with a scroll at their feet and a broom rising up. There is no background, placing the focus on the figures themselves. The inscription is attributed to Ike Taiga (Japanese, 1723–1776) and reads:

One is the Bodhisattva of the Great Path,
The other is the Patriarch of the Great Buddha.
What evidence is there? A broken broom, a tattered scripture, and unrhymed verse.

Hanshan and Shide by Mochizuki Gyokusen, 19th century, Museum of Fine Arts Boston

The inscription references their emanations of Mañjuśrī (Monju) and Samantabadhra (Fugen).

In the 19th century, Japanese Zen painter Mochizuki Gyokuzen created a hanging scroll depicting the pair. Here, we see a shift in style from previous centuries. This painting is done in a more graphic manner, and Mochizuki Gyokuzen employs different colors and sharper lines to create a more cartoon-looking image of the pair. The figures are emotive and looking upwards at something outside of the picture frame, rather than at a scroll. Still, we see the common motifs of the ragged clothing, the broom, and the blank scroll in Kanzan's hand.

Also in the 19th century, during the Meiji Period (1868–1912), was Hashimoto Gahō. His hanging scroll depicting the pair is done in ink and slight tint on paper, harkening back to the simple ink and wash paintings of previous centuries, though done in a far more modern manner. Hashimoto Gaho employs variations in ink tonalities and texture, as seen through the fuzzy hair, the different tones of the ground they stand on, and the fur on Kanzan's skirt. Jittoku is seen laughing and pointing to the blank scroll, while Kanzan looks on in amusement. The faces of the two figures are three dimensionally modeled, making them appear more realistic and modern than past renderings. The tree branches point downward to the characters to direct the attention of viewers. Nearly every common motif associated with the figures are employed in this painting, though it is done in a modern and expressive manner.[13]