Portrait of Daruma, 15th century

Daruma, known also by the Sanskrit name Bodhidharma, is the legendary first patriarch of Zen Buddhism. He is said to have been a south Indian prince who introduced the meditative sect of Buddhism to China in the sixth century. Among numerous exploits attributed to Daruma, his unbroken nine-year meditation in a mountain cave is the most famous. This immobile profile of Daruma, created by a few swift strokes, suggests this feat and conveys the sense of unyielding discipline admired by the disciples of Zen. The colophon has the signature of Ikkyu Sojun, a prominent monk renowned for his idiosyncratic interpretation of Zen ideals and also famed as a calligrapher. An old inscription on the box attributes the image to Soga Dasoku, who was a disciple of Ikkyu.