Origin: Circa: 1920s' Taisho or earlier
H 12.6 in.(32cm), W 4 in.(10cm), D 4 in.(10cm)
Condition: chipped near base, overall very good!
A
spirited Bizen ware okimono of the Japanese Zen Patriarch Daruma, standing in
greetings with hands in hidden mudra, his
expression is sober, intense and full of radiance; in a formidable presence undoubtedly
from the hands of an able artist, and congregated
by the alchemy of earth and fire. It is note worthy that this Bizen-yaki okimono
is unglazed, its ironlike hardness and gradual colors
on the silken surface are from the direct result of firing in a kiln, where 1200°C
was maintained for over two weeks. It seemed that the passing of time has enhanced
this statue with an unctuous ambiance; through which we conservatively attributed
the okimono was made in the late Meiji period.
Bodhidharma
(Chinese:Da Mo), was a 6th Century Indian sage, the blue eyed Brahmin who arrived
China in A.D. 526, and later brought Zen Buddhism to Japan where he is known as
Daruma. He is regarded
as the chief of the Six Patriarchs of Buddhism. He teaches that perfection must
be sought inward through meditation rather than outward observances. It is said
that after first nine years of prolonged meditation, Bodhidharma cuts off his
eyelids and threw them on the ground where they flowered into the first green
tea plants. In honor of Daruma, to this day an early form of the tea ceremony
is carried out in Zen monasteries in Japan.