Daruma
by Matsubara Banryu (1848-1935)
[Zen] is direct pointing to the human heart; Look within to become Buddha. Respectfully brushed by the eighty-eight year old fellow Banryu of Zuigan-ji
Banryu did not start painting seriously until he was in his 80s. He was famed for brushing wonderfully expressive Darumas in a distinctive style, and this portrait, created near the end of his long and eventual life, is one of his finest. Daruma paintings are a kind of self-portrait, and we can sense Banryu's gentle and kind nature.
About the Artist
Matsubara Banryu was ordained at the age of fourteen, and then spent more than twenty years as a mendicant monk. At the age of fifty-nine he was appointed abbot of the Zuigan-ji in Matsushima, one of the most beautiful Zen temples in Japan. However, Banryu was so shabbily attired when he arrived at the temple, the gatekeeper mistook him for a beggar and sent him to the kitchen for food. Banryu was well known for his practice of "hidden virtue"--performing good deeds such as mending his monks' straw sandals and washing their robes anonymously at night--and his care of material objects--"Everything in this world is a gift of the gods and buddhas and not a single grain of rice should be wasted." He was a popular Zen master with many Dharma heirs, including a number of laymen and women. Even for a Zen master, Banryu got a late start as an artist--he didn't start painting seriously until he was in his eighties.
Eccentric Banryu was one of the most colorful Zen masters of the twentieth century. He brushed wonderfully expressive Daruma portraits for temple patrons and he was also an excellent calligrapher. Banryu's work is pure unadulterated Zen art: direct, forceful, and totally unaffected.
Other Scrolls by Matsubara Banryu:
Half-Body Daruma
Daruma
SCROLL DETAILS
- Price: SOLD
- Scroll Notes: Original mounting, good condition. Very nice large Daruma scroll.
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Dimensions (inches): 18.00" (width) x 76.00" (height)
- Purchase Reference Number: 276
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