The 13th-century Chan (Zen) Buddhist monk Muqi created this famous painting of six persimmons.

More about Muqi’s Six Persimmons

In the 13th century, Chinese Chan (Zen) monk Muqi created this minimalist painting capturing the essence of six persimmons quickly and using very few brushstrokes. As a Chan Buddhist monk, he was focused on mindfulness or living in the present as he painted.

“Zen Mona Lisa”

In the United States, this painting achieved a huge boost in fame during the 1960s when Zen Buddhism became popular. Muqi's Six Persimmons became even more famous as a result. Many people called this painting the "Zen Mona Lisa." But Muqi's painting had already been popular in Japan and Japanese art for centuries!

His painting is kept at the Juko-in sub-temple of Daitokuji Ryokoin Temple in Kyoto, Japan. It never left this location until 2023 when the painting was on display at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco for a short time, along with Muqi's other famous ink painting, Chestnuts.

Discover more about why this painting is so famous in the history of art, and tune in till the very end to learn how to create your own Chan ink painting using supplies you have at home!

Main artwork:

1. Persimmons, attributed to Muqi (Chinese, active 13th century), ink on paper, hanging scroll, made originally in China, Collection of Daitokuji Ryokoin Temple

Learn more!

Read more about Chan Buddhism (Zen Buddhism) from The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Heilbrunn Timeline

National Learning Standards

World History

NSS-WH.5-12.5 ERA 5: INTENSIFIED HEMISPHERIC INTERACTIONS, 1000-1500 CE