Tofukuji Temple: Bodhidharma

JAPAN, Kyoto; Muromachi period

Based on the signature and seal, this picture was painted by the monk Kichizan Mincho of Tofukuji Temple when he was in his forties, at the end of the 14th century. In Japan, traditional paintings of Bodhidharma standing in profile are common, but frontal portraits like this are rare. In 1901, the painting was listed as an Important Cultural Property.
Accounts of the life of Bodhidharma state that upon arriving at Shaolin Temple, he retreated to a cave and faced a wall meditating continuously for nine years. In the painting, Bodhidharma, wrapped in a red robe, sits within a rock cave shrouded by clouds. He has large, upturned eyes, a large nose, and a bristly beard. His mouth is tightly closed and his eyebrows are knitted in concentration. The Chinese ink and wash style used in the picture resembles that of the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) folk artist Yan Hui.