Chinsō

Chinsō, in Japanese art, type of Buddhist portraiture developed especially by the Zen sect about 1200. Chinsō were official pictures of high ecclesiastics, usually posed seated in a chair and dressed in their official robes. These intimate portraits show great technical mastery and meticulous execution. Simple, sober colours give a highly refined harmony.

In Zen doctrine the portrait of a master was the most important type of painting. Zen monks sought illumination within their own spiritual experience, inspired by the teachings and deeds of their master, and when the monks completed their studies, they received a “diploma” in the form of a portrait of their master, who usually wrote a symbolic poem in the upper part of the picture.