Self-portrait of the Venerable Seisho

㐂寿 Aged seventy-seven. Following the traditional Japanese age system whereby a child is 1 year old at birth, Kodōjin turned 77 in 1941, an auspicious birthday in East Asia. On the occasion, he painted this self-portrait that pictures him as a young man. He could have painted it in Kyoto or when he was in his hometown of Shingū for birthday celebrations, as attested by a photograph showing him together with ten friends, colleagues, and supporters outside a restaurant.