On Zen Art

This article, which has become known as a classic expression of the main characteristics of Zen art, is republished in Marburg Journal of Religion by kind permission of the Eastern Buddhist Society, Kyōto, having been originally published in The Eastern Buddhist in 1966 I/2 (New Series), pages 21-33. It is a translation of “Zen Geijutsu no Rikai” (禅芸術の理解, “On the Understanding of Zen Art”) from Hisamatsu’s book Tōyōteki Mu (東洋的無, “Oriental Nothingness”), Kyōo: Kōundō 1939, pages 86-97. The original translation was made by Richard DeMartino in collaboration with Fujiyoshi Jikai and Abe Masao. For this re-publication the transliteration of Chinese names has been modernized. The Eastern Buddhist is a journal which was founded in Kyōto in 1921 by Suzuki Daisetsu and associates. Many valuable articles were published in its pages during the 1920s and 1930s. Having enjoyed a new lease of life since the second half of the twentieth century, The Eastern Buddhist is today a leading journal in the field of Buddhist Studies. Other important selections from the early contents may be found in the series Eastern Buddhist Voices (Equinox Publishing). It is hoped that this republication of a key article by HISAMATSU Shin’ichi in a convenient quality format will serve to make it available to a wide readership and further the appreciation of Zen art.