Fly whisk (Hossu)
Hayakawa Shōkosai III Japanese
Like his forebears, Hayakawa Shōkosai III created works for use in sencha practices, including this fly whisk. An attribute of Bodhidharma, a semilegendary Buddhist monk, the fly whisk symbolizes the sweeping away of mental distractions and ignorance. Chinese Daoist sages are often represented using the implement to brush away flies while engaged in “pure conversation” with friends. At literati gatherings, such whisks were hung next to the alcove, or tokonoma.
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