Calligraphy in Semi-Cursive Style (xing-caoshu)

This bold calligraphy written by Yueshan, an Ōbaku school monk, consists of five characters tentatively translated as “Pine trees singing in the wind.” The line is from Cold Mountain Poems (Hanshan shi). Cold Mountain is the pen name (hao) of the poet monk Han Shan, as well as the name of a place. In one poem Han describes getting lost on the road to Cold Mountain, perhaps an allusion to the search for religious enlightenment.