This antique Japanese driftwood carving is a compelling meditation of Zen Buddhist art. The dense root wood presents a lively composition that illustrates three playful tigers climbing on a purported cliff. The tigers are carved with a whimsical likeness, sparingly detailed with stripes and textures while preserving the naturalism of the Ikebana aesthetics. The finely polished driftwood is in free form with twists and turns. Its surface is marked with striations and shows a golden patina of age. It denotes that the Zen concept of beauty found in impermanence, imperfection, and rudimentary. The symbolism of the three tigers represents the Buddhist teaching of the Three Laws of Existence (Sanboin, 三法印): Impermanence (Mujo, 無常), Suffering (Ku, 苦), and Emptiness / Non-self (Ku, 空).