Untitled

Suzuki Harunobu

ca. 1767 · Woodblock print; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

A young woman poles a boat for a man wearing a red, hooded robe who leans over the side of the boat and uses his reflection to pluck stray hairs from his scruffy beard. This is an unusual display of vanity for Bodhidharma, who is traditionally shown crossing the Yangzi River on a reed that he plucked from the bank on his way to spread Zen teachings in China. Parodies of Bodhidharma (Japanese: Daruma) were common in the Edo period, when some unregulated sex workers were colloquially dubbed daruma in winking reference to the rhythms of their working lives being like the years Daruma spent meditating in a cave.

Artist

Suzuki Harunobu

Date

ca. 1767

Medium

Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929