Kanzan (Hanshan)

Object Details

• Artist

  Yonehara Unkai (1869-1925)

• Label

  Kanzan, known in Chinese as Hanshan (Cold Mountain), was a legendary recluse who may have written an anthology of poems titled Poems of Cold Mountain. He was frequently depicted by Zen Buddhist artists, who believed that he had attained enlightenment despite his disheveled appearance and eccentric behavior.

  The sculptor Yonehara Unkai was initially trained as a master carpenter, but decided to study wood sculpture with Takamura Koun (1852-1934) from 1890, winning his first award for sculpture only two years later. This carving of Kanzan closely resembles the piece for which Unkai was awarded third prize in the second annual Bunten exhibition sponsored by Japan's Ministry of Education. This figure, purchased in Yokohama, Japan, by Charles Lang Freer in 1910 or 1911, may have been a study for the prize-winning work or a copy of it.

• Provenance

  About 1911

  Samurai Shokai, Yokohama, about 1911 [1]

  About 1911 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Samurai Shokai, Yokohama, in September 1910 or Spring 1911 [2]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Miscellaneous List, S.I. 337, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [2] Object file, Curatorial Remarks, Lee Johnson, 1993: Freer bought this work in Japan (September 2nd-September 9th, 1910 or February 22-April 4th 1911) on his way to or from China, probably during his stay in Yokohama March 31-April 4, 1911. He bought it from Samurai Shokai, the shop of Nomura Yozo, a dealer who acted as Freer's agent in Japan.

  [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Japanese Art of the Meiji Era (September 20, 1997 to April 26, 1998)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Samurai Shokai (founded 1894) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Sculpture

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1910s, 1900s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Samurai Shokai

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Zen Buddhism, Wood, Japanese Art, Kanzan, Meiji era (1868 - 1912)

• Culture

  Buddhists, Japanese

• Object Type

  Sculpture