Also chinzō. Lit. head's appearance. A naturalistic portrait, sculpted or painted, of a Zen 禅 master's head.
Chinsō can be divided into two types depending on their function:
- First are inka 印可, given by a master to his disciple as a certificate of the student's attainment of spiritual awareness and as a symbol of the clear and unbroken lineage of a sect. These portraits often include hōgo 法語, or words of religious enlightenment, inscribed by the priest depicted. A portrait done in a realistic and detailed style, together with an inscription, provided the disciple with both the tangible presence and the inspiration of the teaching of his master long after personal relations were severed through parting or death.
- Second are keshin 掛真 which were to be hung or placed together with imaginary portraits of Zen patriarchs *zenshū soshizō 禅宗祖師像 in either the dharma hall *hattō 法堂 or main gate *sanmon 三門 of Zen sect temples in connection with memorial services. Chinsō of this second type were made after the master's death and the inscription was usually added by a close contemporary. Chinsō sculpture belongs entirely to the keshin category. The desire to symbolize the personal relationship between sitter and disciple recipient, or to memorialize a master for later followers, necessitated a high degree of verisimilitude. Moreover, the chinsō artist was encouraged to go beyond the mere physical likeness to capture something of the inner spirit of his subject.
Painted chinsō are known in three formats:
- The most orthodox type show the priest wearing his full robe *nōe 衲衣 and surplice *kesa 袈裟, seated en face in a large upholstered wooden armchair *kyokuroku 曲ろく, holding a bamboo baton shippei 竹箆 or whip kyōsaku 警策 in the right hand. He is often shown with legs tucked under and shoes on a small footrest kutsudoko 沓床.
- A second format which evolved later was the half-length or bust portrait hanshinzō 半身像 that focuses on the individualistic details of the face. Typically in such depictions, even the hands of the priest will be hidden beneath the voluminous sleeves except for the exposed thumb of the left hand. Orthodox painted chinsō feature a naturalistic style with fine linear details and a full range of colors, although some later examples are rendered more simply in ink monochrome.
- The third category may be termed special formats, including portraits of a master walking or resting *kinhinzō 経行像 and usually including landscape elements, as well as bust portraits in a circular framework *ensōzō 円相像.
The chinsō tradition is said to have begun in China, possibly initiated by the needs of Japanese students. In the late 12th century, when Japanese priests returned from study in China, they often brought chinsō of their Chinese masters. A representative early example is the anonymous 1238 portrait of Bujun Shiban 無準師範 (Alt. reading Mujun Shihan, Ch: Wuzhun Shifan) presented to the Japanese priest Ben'en Enni 弁円円爾 (Shōitsu Kokushi 聖一国師, 1202-80), who on his return founded Tōfukuji 東福寺. Initially Japanese Zen temples lacked the artists to produce chinsō and therefore employed portrait specialists from other sects. A good example is the 1265 portrait of Gottan Funei 兀庵普寧 (Ch: Wu'an Puning, 1197-1276) by Takuma Chōga 託磨長賀, priest-painter of the esoteric temple Shōdenji 正伝寺. Early chinsō are unsigned, a fact that has greatly complicated the issue of determining the artist and even country of origin. Perhaps the earliest signed chinsō by a Japanese painter priest of a Zen sect is the portrait of Muhon Kakushin 無本覚心 by Kakue 覚恵 in Kōkokuji 興国寺.
By the mid-14th century, Japanese artists were producing high-quality chinsō as demonstrated by the anonymous 1334 portrait of Daitō Kokushi 大燈国師 (1282-1338) in Daitokuji 大徳寺 and the 1349 portrait of Musō Kokushi 夢窓国師 (1276-1351) by his disciple Mutō Shūi 無等周位 in Myōchiin 妙智院. From the late 14th-century painter-priests such as Minchō 明兆 (1351-1431) produced large numbers of excellent chinsō at the ateliers of major Zen temples. The creative vigor of the chinsō tradition continued in the 15th century, exemplified by the remarkable portrait of *Ikkyū 一休 (1394-1481) in Daitokuji 大徳寺, attributed to his disciple Bokusai 墨斎 (?-1492). Chinsō were produced throughout the Edo period, with the portraits of the Ōbaku 黄檗 (Ch: Huangbo) sect of special note.
