Hanshan and Shide (Kanzan and Jittoku) - Shikibu Terutada

A fan-shaped ink painting of the legendary Buddhist hermits Hanshan and Shide by the sixteenth-century Japanese artist Shikibu Terutada.

This fan-shaped painting depicts the legendary Chan Buddhist figures Hanshan and Shide, known in Japan as Kanzan and Jittoku. Shikibu Terutada, an artist active during the mid-sixteenth century, employs the traditional ink wash technique to capture these eccentric hermits. The figures are rendered with expressive, fluid brushwork, reflecting their unconventional nature and their status as manifestations of Manjushri and Samantabhadra.

The composition is designed for a folding fan, a format that requires a curved layout. The figures occupy the lower portion of the field, set against a background of gold leaf. This application of gold provides a luminous contrast to the monochrome ink, a common aesthetic choice in Japanese decorative arts of the period. Hanshan is shown holding a scroll, while Shide gestures with a broom, both appearing in a state of joyful spontaneity. The surrounding bamboo is executed with quick, decisive strokes, grounding the figures in a minimal natural setting.

Shikibu Terutada is associated with the Soga school, a lineage known for its departure from the more rigid academic styles of the time. His work often features a sense of humour and a focus on human character, which is evident in the playful expressions of the two figures. The red seal visible on the lower right serves as the artist's mark, authenticating the piece within the context of his broader body of work. This print captures the specific texture of the original paper and the metallic sheen of the gold leaf, preserving the balance between the ink-based figures and the gilded ground. It is a representative example of the fan painting tradition, where functional objects became canvases for refined artistic expression.