"Wooden chicken and Straw dog"
The verse on the painting is a quotation from the "Sayings of the Zen Master Dahuipueng."
The monk asked Zen Master Fengxue,
"How can ancient music be harmonious without rhymes?"
Zen Master Fengxue said,
"The wooden chicken cries at night, the ruminating dog howls at dawn."
"Mokkei" is a word derived from a story in "Zhuangzi" (the chapter on Da Sheng) and refers to the strongest state of being completely motionless,like a carved wooden chicken.Also,"Suku" is a word that appears In "Lao Tzu" (Chap.5). A dog made of straw is treated as a sacred object during festivals, but is discarded as straw waste after the festival is over.Both refer to true work in the mindlessness.