Ink and color on paperexpand_more
Gift of the Clark Center for Japanese Art & Cultureexpand_more 2013.29.149
The prostitute is plucking the beard of Bodhidharma, known in Japan as Daruma, the founder of Zen Buddhism. Reversing the sacred and the profane in a kind of parody was a favorite motif during the Edo period—in Edo slang, to “pull out one’s nose hair” implied a man enslaved by a woman. An especially popular theme was that of the Daruma and the prostitute, a play on the familiar subjects of Daruma’s nine years of meditation facing a stone wall, which caused the loss of his arms and legs, and the prostitute’s 10 years of trial-laden life at a brothel—the word “daruma” was slang for a prostitute.
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know
Error loading high resolution image. Report this problem.