Seiougyuu　政黄牛

KEY WORD :　 art history / paintings

Ch: Zhenghuangniu. Lit. Zheng 政 (Jp: Sei) of the Yellow Ox. The popular name for a Chinese Northern Song Zen 禅 priest noted for riding a yellow ox. Born Huang 黄 (Jp :Kou), he took the priest's name of Weizheng 惟正 (Jp: Yuishou). According to legendary anecdote one day, on his way to visit a friend, Weizheng rode a yellow ox with a water jar hanging from its horns. This became a favorite Zen painting subject (beginning in the 12c). The pictorial theme entered Japan in the early Muromachi period and enjoyed renewed popularity in the early 17c. Japanese painters often augmented the traditional iconography by hanging books, a basin, or even a flower from the ox's horns, or by showing Sei seated backwards. Seiougyuu is often paired with depictions of *Ikuzanshu 郁山主.

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