Bodhidharma – The Monk Who Faced the Wall for Nine Years

There are legends that do not lose their power over the centuries, but gain it. The story of Bodhidharma, the monk who, according to tradition, meditated motionless in front of a monastery wall for nine years, undoubtedly belongs among them. Hardly any figure in Buddhist art history is depicted so frequently, in such varied contexts – from solemn ink painting to ceramic figures to the folk-art good-luck doll. Bodhidharma is regarded as the founder of Zen Buddhism, and his image remains to this day one of the most striking symbols of spiritual determination in Japanese art.

Who Was Bodhidharma?

According to tradition, Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk from India who came to China around the year 520 and made a decisive contribution to the emergence of Chan Buddhism there – the tradition that became known in Japan as Zen. Although he had originally been intended for a political or military career, he chose to renounce worldly obligations and lead a religious life. He immersed himself in the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism and is said to have studied under several teachers before completing his training with Prajñādhāra, the 27th patriarch of a lineage of teaching traced back to the Buddha himself. In Japanese he is called Daruma or Bodaidaruma – a phonetic adaptation of the Sanskrit name.

Nine Years Facing the Wall

The most famous episode of the Bodhidharma legend takes place at the Shaolin Monastery in China, where, according to tradition, he devoted himself to seated meditation (Zazen) uninterrupted for nine years – facing a wall, without allowing himself to be distracted by monks who wished to become his disciples. To keep himself from falling asleep during this period of meditation, one particularly drastic version of the legend claims he even cut off his own eyelids. It was only the monk Huike, later regarded as the first Chinese Chan patriarch, who is said to have caught his attention by symbolically severing his own arm to prove his sincerity. In the Japanese version of the legend, Bodhidharma's arms and legs atrophied completely as a result of years of motionless meditation – a detail that later gave rise to the characteristic shape of the Daruma doll.

Bodhidharma in the Iconography of Zen Painting

In traditional Japanese painting and calligraphy, Bodhidharma is usually depicted with a powerful, almost wild appearance: deep, penetrating eyes meant to symbolize the intensity of his spiritual focus, an unkempt beard, and wild hair emphasizing his independence from worldly conventions. These depictions are traditionally created using the ink painting technique of Sumi-e, which attempts to capture both the outer appearance and the inner spiritual quality of the subject with just a few powerful brushstrokes. A well-known historical example is the work "Bodhidharma Crossing the Yangzi on a Reed" by the painter Kanō Sōshū (1551–1601), which visually distills the Zen message of contentment - one needs no extravagance for a meaningful life. The painter Unkoku Tōgan also created an influential, deliberately backgroundless Bodhidharma portrait, whose emptiness directly expresses the Buddhist concept of "nothingness" (Mu). The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York holds one such example: a hanging scroll in ink on paper, attributed to Unkoku Tōgan (1547–1618) and dated to the Momoyama period.

From Temple Painting to Ceramic Figure

The depiction of Bodhidharma is by no means limited to painting and calligraphy. In Japanese ceramic art as well, for instance in unglazed Bizen ware, Bodhidharma figures can be found whose natural colors and textures resulting from the yakishime firing process deliberately correspond with the Zen ideals of simplicity and authenticity. The detailed modeling of such figures – striking facial features, intense eyes – translates the spiritual depth of the legend into a three-dimensional object and shows how permeable the boundaries between painting, calligraphy, and craftsmanship have always been within the Japanese Zen tradition. That the motif has remained alive over the centuries is evidenced by a Daruma hanging scroll by the painter Totoki Baigai (1749–1804) in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Daruma Doll: From Monk to Good Luck Charm

From the solemn religious iconography of Bodhidharma, a folk tradition emerged during the Edo period that remains widespread throughout Japan to this day: the Daruma doll. It has its origins in talismans that were made for believers at the Daruma-dera temple in the city of Takasaki; around the year 1770, the first molds for the characteristic doll shape were created. Traditionally made of lightweight, hollow papier-mâché, the Daruma doll is round, without arms and legs – a direct reference to the legend of Bodhidharma's atrophying of his limbs during his meditation. Due to its particular weight distribution, the doll rights itself after being knocked over, which makes it a symbol of perseverance and resilience – summed up in Japanese in the proverb "Nanakorobi yaoki," "Fall down seven times, get up eight."

White Eyes and a Personal Goal

A distinctive feature of the Daruma doll is that it is sold with two empty, white eyes. Upon setting an intention, the owner paints in one eye, while the second is only painted once the goal has been achieved – a small ritual that turns the doll into a personal companion over an extended period, often spanning a whole year. The characteristic facial features of larger Daruma figures also carry their own symbolism: the eyebrows are often shaped like a crane, and the whiskers resemble a tortoise shell – both animals that stand for longevity in Japanese culture. This fusion of religious symbolism with folk superstition shows how flexible and adaptable Bodhidharma iconography has remained over the centuries, without ever entirely losing its spiritual core.

Bodhidharma and the Martial Arts

In addition to his central role in Zen Buddhism, Bodhidharma is also associated in numerous legends with the origin of Shaolin Kung Fu. According to tradition, upon his arrival he found the monks of the Shaolin monastery physically too weak for the strenuous practice of meditation and is said to have taught them physical exercises that later formed the basis of the monastery's martial arts tradition. Historically, this connection cannot be proven beyond doubt, but it shows how much the figure of Bodhidharma became, over the centuries, a focal point for the most diverse legends and cultural attributions – from stern founder of a religion to primordial father of physical discipline.

This complexity of the legend also explains why Bodhidharma could be interpreted so differently in Japanese art: sometimes as a serious, introspective figure in meditation, sometimes, as in later ukiyo-e woodblock prints by the artist Suzuki Harunobu, even in a tongue-in-cheek, ironic depiction that questions social norms and expectations. This range of interpretations – from deeply solemn reverence to subtle humor – makes Bodhidharma one of the most multifaceted figures in the whole of Japanese art history.

At densho.de you will find hand-painted kakemono with depictions of Bodhidharma from traditional Zen painting. Anyone who wants to buy a kakemono that captures this centuries-old legend of perseverance and enlightenment will find what they are looking for in our selection of Japanese painting and ceramics.

Sources and Literature

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Bodhidharma, Unkoku Tōgan, Acc. No. 2015.300.71, metmuseum.org.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Daruma, Totoki Baigai, Acc. No. 2015.300.174, metmuseum.org.

Helmut Brinker, Hiroshi Kanazawa: Zen. Masters of Meditation in Images and Writings. Artibus Asiae (Supplementum 40), Zurich 1996.