Haso no Tsuki (The Moon Through a Crumbling Window)

This print is part of Yoshitoshi's famous series "100 Aspects of the Moon" which depicts scenes from traditional Chinese and Japanese history and lore. Here the father of Zen Buddhism, Bodhidharma (Daruma in Japanese) meditates for nine years to achieve enlightenment. He is said to have lost the use of his legs as a result and today dolls of him are limbless and usually dressed in red. The dolls represent optimism, good fortune, and strong determination.