Ink Drawing of Bodhidharma Sitting Facing the Wall

Daien Buttsū (?-1825) was a Sōtō Zen monk during the late Edo period. He was born in Hizen Province. He lived at Eishōji Temple in Yamashiro, and in Bunsei 5 (1822), he retired to open Kōmyōji Temple in Settsu. He called his retreat ‘Hekigankutsu’ and was known as ‘Tora (tiger) Buttsū.’ He was one of the four monks known for their stern Zen style, along with ‘Gyū (caw) Monkō,’ ‘Ōkami (wolf) Genrō,’ and ‘Shishi (lion) Reitan.’

It is said that he spent nine years in zazen, facing a wall all day long at Shaolin Temple on Mt. Song. This painting depicts Dharma facing the wall. It is often used as a subject in Dharma paintings. The inscription ‘桃栗三年　柿八年’ is a pun on the fact that it took nine years for Dharma to sit facing the wall.