Qingao and Other Immortals

Sesson Shukei was a Zen priest who worked in the Kanto district in the late Muromachi Period. According to Setsumonteishi, his essay on paintings, he modeled himself after Sesshu. However, his painting style is pleasant with rhythmical strokes, while Sesshu's works tend to be static and precisely planned.

The unique expressions on the faces of the hermits, one of his favorite subjects, and the variation of ink shades and subtle coloring in this work are outstanding. This painting suggests the pre-modern painting styles to come in the Edo Period.