Daruma Portrait with Large Inscription
Sold – no longer available
This piece was handmade by Kōsai and was a one-of-a-kind work. It cannot be reordered and will never exist in this form again. The page stays online as part of our archive.
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Details about the sold piece
- Height 190 cm
- Width 50 cm
- Item Type Kakemono
- Jikusaki Sculpture
- Material Honshi Paper
- Period of Creation Heisei (1989–2019)
- Technique Hand-Painted
- Unique Work Yes
No longer available
Description
With few but extremely striking lines, this piece depicts the head of the legendary Zen patriarch Bodhidharma, revered in Japan as Daruma: a bald head, bushy eyebrows, a dense beard, and a penetrating, inward-directed gaze that confronts the viewer directly and lingers long in memory.
Bodhidharma is regarded as the founder of Zen Buddhism and as a symbol of unshakeable determination, since, according to legend, he sat meditating in front of a rock wall for nine years until his legs lost their strength. A large-format calligraphic inscription accompanies the portrait, lending the composition additional weight and expressive power.
Created on paper during the Heisei period and fitted with roller ends made of plastic, this hand-painted unique work is an expressive example of the popular Daruma iconography and serves as a powerful eye-catcher for enthusiasts of Zen art and East Asian philosophy. Depictions of Daruma are still regarded today as bringers of good fortune and encouragement toward perseverance in one's own actions.
