Photo/Illutration “Kishi Monju” by Sesshu (Provided by Yamaguchi Prefectural Art Museum)

YAMAGUCHI--A set of three screens dating to the 15th century has been confirmed by a museum here to have been done by ink-brush master Sesshu (1420-1506?), the first such discovery in Japan.

The paintings by one of the greatest masters of monochrome ink painting in Japanese art were owned by a private individual.

The three screens are called “Kishi Monju, Huang Chuping and Zhang Guolao.”

“Kishi Monju” represents Monju Bodhisattva in riding-lion form. “Huang Chuping” is a Taoist immortal figure, while “Zhang Guolao” is one of the eight immortals in the Taoist pantheon.

Sesshu drew those screens--90.2 centimeters by 38.8 cm each--when he was an aspiring artist using different characters for his name.

The Yamaguchi Prefectural Art Museum confirmed late last year that they were genuine works by Sesshu after being contacted by an acquaintance of the owner of the works to verify their authenticity.

The museum is known for its collection of Sesshu’s paintings.

The only other set of three screens authenticated as Sesshu's work is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It is known as “Sankyo and Lotus Pond.”

The period Sesshu adopted his previous name is believed to be from around 1454, when he moved to Yamaguchi from Kyoto, to around 1467, when he traveled to China during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), according to Michihiko Egaitsu, curator of the museum.

Appreciation of a set of three screens spread during the Muromachi Period (1336-1573), primarily, among high-ranking samurai families, including the Muromachi Shogunate, after such a custom was introduced to Japan from China.