Kou Shohei　黄初平

KEY WORD :　art history / paintings

Ch: Huang Chuping. Taoist immortal figure and magician of the Jin dynasty known for his ability to transform a herd of sheep into stones. Originally from Danqi 丹谿, he became at age 15 a shepherd on Mt Jinhua 金華 in Zhejiang 浙江 where he learned Taoist arts. According to The Biographies of Gods and Immortals (Jp: SHINSENDEN 神仙伝, Ch: Shenxianzhuan), one day Kou Shohei's brother appeared on the mountain and, noticing a complete absence of sheep, asked of their whereabouts. Kou Shohei then touched his staff to the ground (or alternately, pointed it), whereupon the stones of the field changed into white sheep. In paintings the transformation scene is most common, although the brother's presence is often omitted. Well-known paintings include those by Sesshuu 雪舟 (1420-1506; Kyoto National Museum), Kanou Motonobu 狩野元信 (1476-1559; Myoukakuji 妙覚寺, Kyoto) and Maruyama Oukyo 円山応挙 (1733-95; Tooyama Kinenkan 遠山記念館, Saitama prefecture). In *ukiyo-e 浮世絵 this subject matter is often used in the year of the sheep for *surimono 摺物.

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