This pair of six-panel folding screens, respectively depicting a dragon and a tiger, was created by Unkoku Toji, the second son of Toeki, the second leader of the Unkoku School. The idea of pairing a dragon and a tiger was born in ancient China. Hekiganroku (The Blue Cliff Record, a classic Zen Buddhist text originally compiled during the Sung Dynasty, China) says: “When a dragon chants a poem, a fog sets in, and when a tiger roars, a wind blows”. That is, dragons and tigers were considered to be symbols of the laws of nature. After the Muromachi period (1136 -1573), this Hekiganroku verse spread among Japanese people, especially among Zen monks, and the pairing of a dragon and a tiger became a popular theme of paintings in Japan.
In general, pairs of dragons and tigers on six-panel folding screens show a dragon depicted on one screen and a tiger on the other, with the two animals glaring at each other. This produces a sense of unity and dramatic impact. This pair adopts the same composition. The wind and clouds created by the dragon have full impact, with the ink depicting them overflowing energetically to the bottom edge of the screen in some places. On the other screen, the tiger’s coat of hair is finely depicted, with each strand of hair revealed. However, the demeanors of the dragon and tiger in this work seem to lack the dignity of sacred animals with magical powers beyond human intellect. In particular, the tiger appears to be relaxed and its lovely face with big, round eyes has charming qualities that make us smile.

Unkoku Toji (1615 – 1671)
Toji was the second son of Unkoku Toeki. He set up house for himself before 1637 and supported his brother Toyo, the third leader of the Unkoku School. He became hokkyo (the third highest rank in the hierarchy of Buddhist monks) in 1639. Although based in Hagi (the present-day Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture), he worked actively in various other parts of the country. In 1655, he participated in a project for creating paintings on the walls and fusuma (sliding doors) of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, together with his brother Toyo, and Saito Toshitsu, a painter retained by the Kikkawa Family. Unkoku Toji also produced a fusuma-e work for the Kongobu-ji Temple on Mt. Koya, which is still extant today. Among the four brothers, unconventionality was the particular hallmark of Toji’s style.

雲穀派第2代——等益次子，等爾的龍虎圖屏風。龍虎成對的想法源於古代中國，佛教禪宗的書《碧嚴錄》中描述：“龍吟霧起，虎嘯風生（龍吟便會起霧，虎嘯便能生風）“，龍虎被喻為自然之理的象征。此話在日本室町時代以後，以禪僧為中心流傳開來，龍虎成對的龍虎圖變成非常人氣的畫題。
一般的龍虎圖屏風中，將龍與虎分別描繪在兩麵屏風上，采取左右對峙的構圖，以提高整體感與震撼力。本圖也采用了同樣的構圖，龍掀起風雲，魄力十足，連垂落到屏風下部的墨水，也能彰顯氣勢。另一方麵，毛筆描繪的老虎，一根根的毛發又顯出了細膩。這對龍虎的表情，看不到超越人類力量的靈獸的威嚴。尤其是老虎，輕鬆悠閑的模樣，大圓眼睛的可愛臉龐甚至有一絲幽默感。

雲穀 等而
生卒年　1615～1671（元和元年～寛文11年）
雲穀等益的次子。支撐起整個家，並支持雲穀派第3代兄長等與，直到寬永14年（1637年）。寬永16年（1639年）繼任法橋（僧位）。以萩市為據點，明曆元年（1655年）與兄長等與、吉川家的畫師齋藤等室，共同參與繪製了京都禦所的隔扇壁畫。高野山金剛峰寺也留有其繪製的隔扇畫。在4兄弟中以自由豁達的畫風著稱。

雲穀派第2代——等益次子，等爾的龍虎圖屏風。龍虎成對的想法源於古代中國，佛教禪宗的書《碧嚴錄》中描述：“龍吟霧起，虎嘯風生（龍吟便會起霧，虎嘯便能生風）“，龍虎被喻為自然之理的象征。此話在日本室町時代以後，以禪僧為中心流傳開來，龍虎成對的龍虎圖變成非常人氣的畫題。
一般的龍虎圖屏風中，將龍與虎分別描繪在兩麵屏風上，采取左右對峙的構圖，以提高整體感與震撼力。本圖也采用了同樣的構圖，龍掀起風雲，魄力十足，連垂落到屏風下部的墨水，也能彰顯氣勢。另一方麵，毛筆描繪的老虎，一根根的毛發又顯出了細膩。這對龍虎的表情，看不到超越人類力量的靈獸的威嚴。尤其是老虎，輕鬆悠閑的模樣，大圓眼睛的可愛臉龐甚至有一絲幽默感。

雲穀 等而
生卒年　1615～1671（元和元年～寛文11年）
雲穀等益的次子。支撐起整個家，並支持雲穀派第3代兄長等與，直到寬永14年（1637年）。寬永16年（1639年）繼任法橋（僧位）。以萩市為據點，明曆元年（1655年）與兄長等與、吉川家的畫師齋藤等室，共同參與繪製了京都禦所的隔扇壁畫。高野山金剛峰寺也留有其繪製的隔扇畫。在4兄弟中以自由豁達的畫風著稱。