page_title: Chinsō
section_title: Functions of chinsō
hierarchical_section_title: Chinsō / Functions of chinsō
caption_attribution_description: English: statue of the Zen monk Chikotsu Dai'e (癡兀大慧)
context_page_description: Chinsō 頂相 are commemorative portraits of Zen masters, a traditional form of East Asian art, specifically Zen art. They can be painted or sculpted and usually present a Zen master ceremonially dressed and seated upright in chair. Chinsō include realistic portraits of prominent Zen monks, possibly commissioned by them and painted while they were alive or shortly after they died, as well as depictions of famous Zen patriarchs from the past commissioned by his disciples.
  Chinsō were believed to have been passed down by Zen masters to their disciples as a symbol of dharma transmission, and known to have been meant for use in rituals, especially to represent the deceased during memorial services, and as an icon for their followers. Before monks would die, they would sometimes write a simple poem in the upper part of their portrait called eulogy, or have another author or monk write an inscription at the top. In Japan many remaining sculptural Buddhist chinsō are made out of wood, which may explain why so few remain in China and Korea on account of the Huichang persecution when most wooden sculptures perished.
context_section_description: Chinsō have been known to serve many purposes throughout their history. The category includes portraits commissioned by the Zen monks themselves and painted while they are alive or shortly after they had died, and portraits commissioned by famous Zen patriarchs’ disciples to be used for worship. Scholars have also concluded that they could have been used as certificates or proof of dharma transmission. By proof of dharma transmission, it is meant that the portraits were thought to have been passed down from Zen master to their disciples when they became enlightened, since dharma transmission is the recognition of the enlightenment in a monk's successor and the passing down of lineage. This theory has since been questioned by scholars. Since the category of chinsō is so broad and includes portraits used for worship as well as portraits used to represent dharma transmission, the category could use stricter guidelines for classifying portrait as chinsō. The true function of chinsō is under question by scholars for the purpose of clarifying the category.
  More recently (since about 1994) it has come to the attention of scholars that chinsō were used in a mortuary context, rather than used to certify or authenticate dharma transmission. This was particularly the case in China.  They were used after monks had died, meaning that they were used like other icons are: as a receptacle for a deity in a ritual context, like objects of worship in temples. An article by T. Griffith Foulk and Robert Sharf published in 1994 attempted to demystify this part of Zen culture by clarifying that chinsō did not serve as evidence of dharma transmission but are simply a category of Buddhist portraiture used in a mortuary context. Their inscriptions provide possible legitimization to lineage of transmission and possible affiliation, but are said to not have been given for the sole purpose of certifying enlightenment. This argument is supported by their claims that chinsō, unlike more important items for representing transmission like a monk's robes, were passed out freely in China to “laymen, novices, merchants, and the like”. Their argument goes on to say chinsō could have just been part of the regular gift-giving tradition. Different recipients of chinsō include designated dharma heirs associated with specific lineages, another meaningful relation to the monk, who received the portrait as a gift or an anonymous person who received the portrait at a fundraiser (a “hauzshu” in Chinese). The purpose and usage of chinsō is still in question by scholars. 
  Some dharma lineages have been heavily influenced by portraiture. For example, the Portrait of Chikotsu Dai’e established Chikotsu Dai’e 癡兀大慧 (1229–1312) as a disciple of the Chan monk Enni Ben’e 円爾弁円(1202–1280) because the inscription of the chinsō is similar to that of Enni Ben’en's on his own portrait, and Enni's is similar to that of his predecessor Wuzun Shifan 無準師範 (1178–1249), a Chinese Chan monk. The portrait of Wuzun Shih-fan was brought by his disciple Enni Ben’en to Japan in 1241 and is one of the oldest surviving chinsō. Chikotsu Dai’e's portrait thus establishes the genealogical sequence of Wuzun Shih-fan to Enni and then to Chikotsu. Though it is unclear if chinsō served as certificates of dharma transmission, throughout history they have been used to show a direct line of dharma transmission and lineage. The portraits of these three monks show a clear acknowledgment of enlightenment from one monk to his disciple, from Wuzun Shih-fan to Enni Ben’en to Chikotsu Dai’e. Although each monk may not have passed down their chinsō to his disciple as proof of transmission, we can understand the history of lineage as being shown through the passing down of the portraits.
caption: Statue of Monk Chikotsu Dai'e
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