Daruma Head Over Curved Brushstroke

Calm and introspective, the depicted figure of a monk looks to the side, the head slightly inclined, the face modeled with few but assured lines. Above it stands a single, broadly placed character, lending the whole composition a quiet, almost suspended concentration – entirely in keeping with the reduced visual language of Zen painting.

The figure depicted is Bodhidharma, also known in Japanese as Daruma, who is venerated as the first patriarch of Zen, or Chan, Buddhism. He is said to have traveled from India to China toward the end of the 5th century and to have laid the foundations there of this still-influential Buddhist school. Motifs such as this one recall his significance as a symbol of endurance, determination, and deep meditative absorption.

The kakemono is hand-painted on paper and fitted with wooden jikusaki, created in the Heisei period. Signature and seal at the left edge of the image identify it as a unique work by a Japanese painter. Anyone interested in Zen iconography and the art of calligraphic reduction will find in this hanging scroll a quiet, expressive piece.