烏丸光広筆 十牛図歌賛図巻|Ten Oxherding Songs

The work known as Ten Oxherding Songs was created in 1634 in Japan as a handscroll using ink on dyed paper with stenciled decoration in gold and silver. It portrays a man alongside oxen and belongs to the religious painting genre. The piece was produced by the artist Karasumaru Mitsuhiro, who worked within the tradition of Japanese ink painting.

Since its creation it has been part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view. Its dimensions measure 29.9 cm in height and 271.8 cm in width.

The work is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it is recorded as Ten Oxherding Songs Folding Album with Accession No. 2015.539.

It was included in the exhibition “Celebrating the Arts of Japan: Japanese Buddhist Paintings from American Collections” held at the Japan Society, New York, from 14 September to 14 December 2015.

Created in 1634 by the Japanese calligrapher and artist Karasumaru Mitsuhiro, this handscroll depicts the Ten Oxherding Songs, a seminal Zen Buddhist allegory illustrating the stages of spiritual enlightenment. The work is executed in ink on dyed paper, enhanced with stenciled gold and silver decoration, a technique characteristic of Mitsuhiro's refined aesthetic. The composition unfolds horizontally across the scroll, presenting ten distinct vignettes that narrate the seeker's journey from the initial search for the ox to the final state of emptiness and return to the world.

Each scene is paired with a short poem inscribed directly above the image, integrating calligraphy and painting into a unified visual and literary experience. Mitsuhiro, a prominent figure in the early Edo period known for his mastery of both Japanese and Chinese styles, produced this work during a time of renewed interest in Zen culture among the aristocracy. The scroll serves not only as a religious teaching tool but also as a high artistic achievement, demonstrating the artist's ability to convey complex philosophical concepts through minimal, expressive brushwork and elegant decorative elements.

The "Ten Oxherding Pictures" originated in China and became a pivotal teaching narrative within Zen Buddhism, widely embraced in Japan. Karasumaru Mitsuhiro's interpretation around 1634 contributes to a rich tradition of artistic representations of this parable. Such scrolls functioned as meditative tools and instructional guides, offering a visual and poetic framework for understanding the stages of spiritual progress within the Zen tradition.