According to an old Chinese legend, one day the Daoist priest Lu Xiujing and the Confucian poet Tao Yuanming visited the Buddhist monk Huiyuan, who had become a recluse and vowed never to leave his mountain temple. As they concluded their visit together, the three friends became so caught up in conversation that Huiyuan inadvertently crossed the bridge over the Tiger Glen, a ravine that formed the boundary of the temple precinct. As soon as they realized what had happened, the men burst into laughter at the absurdity of this transgression. The parable teaches that true wisdom is gained when boundaries of difference are overcome through mutual understanding.

The theme became popular in Japan, especially among Kano-school artists whose subject matter and ink-painting style derived from Chinese traditions. Here, the three men are shown laughing together at the edge of the glen, having just crossed the bridge over a raging torrent. The design of the Johnson Museum’s Morgan Japanese Garden re-creates this story in abstract sculptural form, with the three laughers represented by three upright boulders. A cleft through a field of moss represents the ravine, which is lined with small stones to evoke the torrent.