達磨図 (Daruma zu)|Bodhidharma (Daruma)

Kano Sanraku 狩野山楽

17th century · Hanging scroll; ink on paper · Asian Art

Bodhidharma was an Indian monk credited with transmitting Zen Buddhist teachings to China in the 500s. Known as "Daruma" in Japan, he is revered as the first patriarch of Zen. Here he is shown seated, casting his powerful gaze directly at the viewer and biting his lower lip. Following a longstanding approach to the depiction of Bodhidharma in East Asia, the artist emphasizes the figure's unkempt facial and body hair, as well as bulging eyes framed by pronounced eyebrows. He wears simple robes and large earrings. The two red seals at the right edge of the picture, reading "Shūri" and "Mitsuyori," are consistent with those found on works by Kano Sanraku, a follower of the great Momoyama-period master Eitoku (1543–1590) who led the Kyoto branch of Kano School (Kyōgano) in the early decades of the 1600s.

Artist

Kano Sanraku 狩野山楽

Date

17th century

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Charles Stewart Smith Collection, Gift of Mrs. Charles Stewart Smith, Charles Stewart Smith Jr., and Howard Caswell Smith, in memory of Charles Stewart Smith, 1914