Zenga (Zen painting) usually designates the pictures and calligraphy of the monks of the Edo Period (1600-1868). As these ecclesiastics had not usually been taught painting, their spontaneous work did not rely on painting traditions. They had, on the other hand, studied calligraphy and consequently knew the discipline of ink and brush.
In any event, they wanted to communicate without spoken words. Zen has long maintained that although it cannot be directly communicated, it can be suggested.
This is the task of Zenga. As Stephen Addiss has elsewhere said: "At its best, Zenga is at once a personal statement of Zen enlightenment and an art form that can be appreciated by in purely artistic terms."