Shubun (周文)
Shubun (the years of his birth and death was unknown) was a Zen priest and artist-monk in the middle of the Muromachi period. His dogo (a pseudonym as a priest) was Tensho. His secular surname was Fujikura.
While being responsible for the finance of Shokoku-ji Temple as Tsukan, he also served Ashikaga Shogun family as an official painter. In 1423, he participated in the delegation dispatched to Korea and drew landscape paintings there. His achievements, such as coloring the Daruma sculpture of Daruma-ji Temple in Kataoka of Yamoto Province in 1430 and traveling to Nara Todai-ji Temple for the purpose of collecting useful information in deigning the Buddhist image of Ungo-ji Temple in 1440, are well-known and he is supposed to have lived until around 1454. However, works of art which Shubun actually painted do not exist and therefore, his painting style is not clear. After Shubun died, the position of official painter of the shogun family was succeeded by Sotan Oguri.
Shubun's Works of Art (legend)
Suishoku ranko zu (Hue of the Water, Light on the Peaks) (Nara National Museum) : national treasure
Chikusai Dokusho-zu (painting of Chikusai reading a book) (Tokyo National Museum) : national treasure
Sanekisai zu (a sanctum with pine, bamboo and plum trees) (Seikado Bunko Art Museum) : important cultural property
Koten Bosetsu zu (evening landscape and the sky over a river) (Nezu Museum) : important cultural property
To Domyo Chosho zu (To Domyo hearing the wind at the top of a pine tree) (transferred from Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art to Yamanashi Prefectural Museum) : important cultural property
Shiki sansui zu byobu (Landscapes of the Four Seasons) (Seikado Bunko Art Museum) : important cultural property
Shiki sansui zu byobu (Maeda Ikutokukai) : important cultural property
Shiki sansui zu byobu (Nagoya betsuin, Otani School of Shin Sect) : important cultural property
Shiki sansui zu byobu (Tokyo National Museum) : important cultural property
sausui-zu (a painting of the landscape) (Museum Yamatobunkakan) : important cultural property