Courtesan as Daruma

ca. 1800; inscription ca. 1810

Not on view

Though a painting of a young woman, the red cape and cowl are associated with traditional imagery of Daruma (Bodhidharma), the legendary monk who traveled from India to China to establish Chan (Zen) Buddhism, who is often depicted in similar garb. The painting here, unsigned but most likely by Toyoharu based on stylistic considerations, is intended as a parodic depiction of a Yoshiwara courtesan. The poem by Shokusanjin plays on Buddhist phrases related to the Daruma’s nine years of zazen meditation in a cave to connote a drinking party.

Drinking sake aged nine years,
along with crumbs of snacks
such as Zazen beans,
we realize that originally
there was nothing at all.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

伝歌川豊春筆　蜀山人（太田南畝）賛　女達磨図
Title: Courtesan as Daruma
Artist: Attributed to Utagawa Toyoharu (Japanese, 1735–1814)
Period: Edo period (1615-1868)
Date: ca. 1800; inscription ca. 1810
Culture: Japan
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Dimensions: Image: 29 1/4 in. × 10 in. (74.3 × 25.4 cm)
Overall with mounting: 59 3/4 × 13 5/16 in. (151.8 × 33.9 cm)
Overall with knobs: 59 3/4 × 15 3/16 in. (151.8 × 38.6 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Gift of Miki and Sebastian Izzard, 2018
Object Number: 2018.914.2
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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