Crow's Reading Notes

Monchrome india ink wash painting, or suibokuga, was imported to Japan from China during the Kamakura period (1192-1333) along with Zen Buddhism, with which it is closely connected. At its simplest, this style of painting requires only an ink stone, ink, brush and paper. Necessitating intense concentration and control, it is said to be the perfect art for the student of Zen. In this style, everything unessential is shorn away and each irreversible stroke is fueled by the intensity and disciplined energy of the artist. The mind must be harmonized with the samurai’s sword: the stroke, once executed, cannot be withdrawn.