Discussion

Daruma: The Man, the Legend, and Artists' Depictions

Daruma is the Japanese name for an Indian monk, Bodhidharma, who is credited with having transmitted Buddhist teachings to China in the 6th century A.D. that eventually evolved into one of the principal Buddhist sects. It arrived in Japan as Zen Buddhism in the 12th century. Zen emphasizes rigorous self-restraint and meditation to achieve insight into the true nature of things, insight that in daily life is used for the benefit of others.

Little real is known about Daruma, but there are legends about him. He is supposed to have been the third son of a king somewhere in south or western Asia. He is credited with instituting a regimen of physical training in China's Shaolin temple in Henan province with boxing becoming the first of the martial arts. Through disciples, Shaolin Kung Fu was eventually developed. It is said that Daruma sat in meditation staring at a wall in a cave (some sources say a temple) for nine years to achieve supreme enlightenment without moving or speaking the entire time. One account says he fell asleep after seven years, so he cut off his eyelids to prevent that from happening again. When the eyelids hit the ground, the first tea plants sprang up and became an aid for students to stay awake. At the end of nine years, Daruma was incapable to using his legs. Some say that his limbs simply fell off.

Artists frequently depict Daruma with unkempt facial and body hair as well as bulging eyes (because of no eyelids?) framed by pronounced eyebrows. The hanging scroll below is thought to be by Kano Sanraku (1559-1635), a follower of the Momoyama-period master Eitoku (1543–1590).

This next hanging scroll painting is by Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831-1889) who has been described as perhaps the last virtuoso in traditional Japanese painting.

The somewhat irreverent depiction below is by Katsushika Hokusai (1760 - 1849). Perhaps his insight led him to test early for COVID-19.

Here is another Daruma by Hokusai, this time an ukiyo-e print, done about 1840.

Hokusai first drew significant attention to himself as an artist at a festival in Edo (Tokyo) in 1804 by painting a huge picture on 20 yards of parchment paper laid on the ground using buckets of water, ink, mops and brooms. The painting was so large that I couldn't be properly seen from the ground, but when viewed from the roof of a nearby temple, it was a crystal clear depiction of Daruma.

This very simple Daruma painted on a shikishi (washi on a cardboard base) is by Setsuo, active in the 19th century.

Hakuin Ekaku (1686 - 1769) was a very influential Zen Buddhist monk. He painted the Daruma below in 1719.

This next depiction is of the Kabuki actor Nakamura Utaemon IV portraying Daruma in a painting by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798 - 1861). One presumes that Utaemon didn't cut off his eyelids for the roll.

Daruma's eyes makes him appear to be an oriental in this picture because he is being portrayed by a Japanese actor, but Daruma was not from east Asia and is rarely depicted that way.

It can be seen that most artists have similar ideas of how depict Daruma, but not all of them. The painting below, one of the earliest in Japan in the classical Japanese style, was done by Sesshu Tōyō (1420 - 1506) in 1496. It has been designated a National Treasure.

Daruma dolls, sometimes called tumbler dolls or good-luck dolls, are made in his memory and are symbols of perseverance and good luck They make fine gifts of encouragement, and stores like to display them in shop windows. They are hollow and constructed so that however they are knocked around, they always return to an upright position. This relates to an expression attributed to Daruma, nana-korobi-yaoki, that means, "If you fall down seven times, get up eight."

Good luck Daruma dolls sold at New Years time have blank white eyes. Once an owner makes a wish or sets a goal, one eye is painted in. When success is achieved, the other eye is painted in. This "charm" is supposed to be good for only one year, so new dolls need to be purchased annually.

Dolls purchased at temples are supposed to be returned at the next New Year to be burned in special ceremonies.