Courtesan as Daruma

Utagawa Toyoharu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Though a painting of a young woman, the red cape and cowl are associated with traditional imagery of Daruma (Bodhidharma), the legendary monk who traveled from India to China to establish Chan (Zen) Buddhism, who is often depicted in similar garb. The painting here, unsigned but most likely by Toyoharu based on stylistic considerations, is intended as a parodic depiction of a Yoshiwara courtesan. The poem by Shokusanjin plays on Buddhist phrases related to the Daruma’s nine years of zazen meditation in a cave to connote a drinking party. Drinking sake aged nine years, along with crumbs of snacks such as Zazen beans, we realize that originally there was nothing at all.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art