Samadhi of Contemplating the Buddha

JAPAN; Showa period

Samadhi means deep meditation. “Samadhi of Contemplating the Buddha,” implies being at ease in the contemplation of the gracious features and merits of both Sakyamuni Buddha and Amitabha Buddha.
The simplistic style of this rotating-character seal is a result of its composition in a set of rather unconventional seal script characters. Carved in a variety of engraving techniques including swift knife, pushing cut, and chopping cut techniques, the overall piece elicits a sense of innocent delight.
Yamada Shohei, also known as Isshi or Isshiro, was an artist from Niigata, Japan during the Showa period (1926–1989). He was the second son of Kimura Chikko, a well-known seal engraver, and was vastly influenced by his father’s works. Yamada went to China in his 20s to study calligraphy, painting, and seal engraving under Wu Changshuo and Xu Xingzhou. He produced several written works, such as Mind Seals Collection, Young Genius Seals Collection, Arhat Seals Collection, and Shohei Ceramic Seals Collection.