This vintage shikishi print by Mieno Youn, also known by his Buddhist name Keizan Sōhaku 荊山宗璞 (1914–1994), features the auspicious title 福寿 圓満 子孫 長久, a blessing for good fortune, longevity, completeness, and lasting prosperity for one’s descendants.
The composition is beautifully minimal, centered around a charming mouse-like form created with only a few bold brushstrokes. The rounded body, small ears, whiskers, and sweeping tail are expressed with Zen-like simplicity, giving the piece a warm and humorous character.
The phrase carries a deeply auspicious meaning. 福寿 refers to happiness and longevity, 圓満 suggests harmony, completeness, and fulfillment, while 子孫長久 expresses the wish for descendants and family prosperity to continue for generations.
Mieno Youn / Keizan Sōhaku 荊山宗璞 was born in 1914 in Ōita Prefecture. In 1924, he took monastic vows under Master Takushū, the head priest of Hōshun-in Temple, and later graduated from Ōtani University in Kyoto in 1934. In 1971, he became head priest of Hōshun-in, a temple known as the family temple of the Maeda clan, historical rulers of the Kaga Domain.
This work combines Buddhist calligraphy, zodiac symbolism, and a playful Zen-inspired animal form. The mouse / rat is also the first animal of the Japanese zodiac, associated with new beginnings, cleverness, prosperity, fertility, and abundance, making it especially fitting for a blessing related to family continuity.
Size: 24 x 27cm
