Listening to the Wind in the Pines
1404
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1404
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
A monk sits cross-legged under a pine tree, eyes half-closed, listening to the wind. The branches twist above him, ink strokes dark against the blank paper. This painting is one of the few surviving works linked to Ikkyū, a Zen monk known for breaking rules. The poem at the top isn’t just decoration—it’s a riddle about enlightenment. Solve it, and you might understand why the monk looks so peaceful. If you like quiet scenes like this, look up *Muromachi period (1392–1573)*.
