“Sitting at Mount Mōko, with Regret”

Sengai Gibon

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Artist Name: Sengai Gibon
Title: “Sitting at Mount Mōko, with Regret”
Dimensions: painting： 71.5×71.2㎝
full length：133.9×84.3㎝
Medium: ink on silk
Description: This work is known as the “Poem on Mount Mōko” (Mōkozan-shi), and several versions of this poem in the author’s hand are known to survive. The poem commemorates the legendary Mongol invasions of Japan, which took place twice, in 1274 (Bun’ei 11) and 1281 (Kōan 4). On both occasions, vast Mongol fleets—said to number in the tens of thousands of vessels—advanced upon Kyushu, only to be struck by powerful divine winds from the southeast, inflicting devastating losses upon the invading forces.

The poem concludes by reflecting that Mount Mōko stands high because it became the burial place of the fallen soldiers who perished in the battles.

Sengai Gibon (1750-1837) was a Japanese monk of the Rinzai school in Edo period.

He was born in Gifu, and then became a monk at 11 years old.
After traveling in Japan, he was being an abbot for 23 years. He passed away at 88 years old.
His humorous artworks are based on Zen.