MUNAKATA SHIKO Compassionate Vessel

• LOT

  1856

• Artist

  MUNAKATA SHIKO ( 1903 - 1975 )

• Estimate

  800,000 - 1,200,000 34,783 - 52,174 40,000 - 60,000 160,000 - 240,000 5,000 - 7,500

  JPY RMB HKD TWD USD

• Result

  Members only

• Details

  ink on Japanese paper　hanging scroll　
  stamped signature
  original box: signed and titled, "Across Ten Thousand Miles of Waters and Clouds, Where Does the Compassionate Vessel Journey Next?" — Inscribed by Shikō Munakata and stamped signature on the reverse
  
  Provenance: K's Gallery, Tokyo
  
  The title refers to the Buddhist 'boat of compassion,' symbolizing salvation through mercy.
  
  MUNAKATA SHIKO was a Japanese printmaker who brought modern Japanese woodblock art to international prominence. Deeply influenced by the ideals of the Mingei (Folk Craft) movement advocated by Yanagi Soetsu and others, he developed a highly individual approach to woodblock printmaking. Raised in Aomori, he aspired to become an artist after encountering the works of Vincent van Gogh. He eventually came to regard the woodblock not merely as a reproductive technique but as a creative act through which he could directly express his spirituality, and used the term "itaga" (board pictures) to articulate his artistic philosophy. His boldly composed works, characterised by powerful carved lines, vigorous knife marks, and subtle variations in the density of ink, draw upon Buddhist cosmology, reverence for nature, and a celebration of human vitality, opening up new expressive possibilities within the tradition of Japanese woodblock printmaking. Major series, including The Ten Great Disciples of Shakyamuni, Two Bodhisattvas and the Ten Great Disciples of Shakyamuni, and The Great World Screens, exemplify his spiritual intensity and distinctive sense of form. His international reputation was firmly established following his receipt of the International Grand Prize for Printmaking at the 1956 Venice Biennale. His works are held in the collections of major museums in Japan and abroad, including the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, the National Museum of Art, Osaka, and the Aomori Museum of Art. Munakata occupies a pivotal position in the history of modern Japanese art, having opened up new horizons for woodblock printmaking.
  
  Compassionate Vessel distils Munakata Shiko's lifelong engagement with Buddhist thought into a powerful work of calligraphy. The term Jiko ("Vessel of Compassion") derives from Buddhist doctrine, likening the boundless compassion of the Buddha or Bodhisattva to a vessel carrying sentient beings across the sea of suffering toward enlightenment, a concept closely associated with Avalokiteśvara. Dominating the composition, the two boldly brushed characters animate the surface through dynamic brushwork, varied ink tonality, and a compelling sense of rhythm. For Munakata, calligraphy transcended written language to become an autonomous visual form, embodying his ideal of the unity of painting and writing. The artist's inscription on the reverse, Banri suiun nagaku, Jiko mata izuko ("Across the boundless waters and clouds—where now is the Vessel of Compassion?"), further enriches the work's contemplative and spiritual resonance. The hanging scroll exemplifies the expressive freedom and profound spirituality that characterise Munakata's mature calligraphic practice.
  
  97.0×60.0cm
  (38 ¼ × 23 ⅝ in.)　

• Organizer

  Jo's Auction

• Auction

  Jo’s Auction Autumn Auction of Art Works 2026

• Catalog

  Contemporary Art/Modern&Post-War Art

• Date

  2026/10/21