Takeda Mokurai's Megura ("Black") Daruma Painting With Calligraphy

[Iaido dude]

Here's a challenging work from the standpoint of translation because it is in clerical script. I'm stumped.  Let's see how you do.

 

Takeda Mokurai (1854 - 1930) was born in Nagasaki. He was a student of Yuzen Gentatsu (Sanshoken, 1842-1918) and was eventually appointed to the head of Kennin-ji temple in 1892, which was founded in 1202 and is the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto. As a painter and calligrapher, his work often depicted the Daruma.

 

This work (left) appears to be his copy of a famous painting by Mokukei Hojo (right), a Chinese Zen monk and painter from Sichuan Province at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty who became the founder of Liutong temple on the shores of West Lake. Mokukei's paintings were looked down upon in China, but in Japan they were considered a benchmark for Muromachi period ink painting and were highly praised. His painting below has the seal of the sixth Muromachi shogun and indicates that it was a highly valued treasure of the Muromachi shogunate, which was later called the "Higashiyama Imperial Treasure." Because of the black eyes, it came to be known by the nickname "Meguro Daruma" (Black Daruma). It was part of a triptych with a painting of a monkey and owned by the sixth shogun, Ashikaga Yoshinori. It was then kept secret at Nishi Hongan-ji temple for a long time, but was separated in the early Meiji period due to financial difficulties at the temple, into two sets of scrolls, "Dharma" and "Monkey." Unfortunately, the "Dharma" was lost. Apparently, Mokurai was able to see the work first hand and to brush this homage, possibly at Nishi Hongan-ji in Kyoto, a city where he underwent training for many decades, which therefore dates it to sometime after the Meiji Restoration of 1868. Currently, the "Monkey" is in the collection of the Tokugawa Art Museum.

 

In a personal communication, Audrey Seo commented on the Mokurai work: "[It] reflects both Mokurai’s personal approach to Daruma paintings, as well as referencing the aesthetic tradition of the subject. Mokurai is interesting as an artist because he never seems to have settled on a personal style for his Daruma portraits, which he did numerous time (see examples). Instead, stylistically, they are all over the place in terms of composition, brushwork, and attitude...[He uses] dry brushwork around the head and face, and the bolder, wetter ink for the robe and earring and a rather loose, undefined structure of Daruma’s ear....In general, Mokurai, like most 20th-century Zen artists, usually uses a wetter, more saturated ink style...So it seems that Mokurai liked to experiment with his approach to Daruma portraits, changing the brushwork, composition and actual physical features of the patriarch each time, but doing so in a manner which always remained true to traditional depictions. This ability to change his style is rather remarkable because it does not reflect personal artistic development over time (like Hakuin’s Daruma) or maintaining one’s personal style consistently (like Fugai). Instead it reveals Mokurai’s interest in the past, in the artistic lineage, and in the spirit of past Masters. This in fact, may be the point of his inscription: that as many times as he might attempt to capture the depth, power and spirit of the past Daruma portraits, it is futile."

 

Interestingly, it is signed Higashiyama Sabe (another name for Mokurai). The calligraphy is a fine example of the skillful use of clerical script, learned from the master of Chinese clerical script Kosone Kendo, for which Mokurai was famous.

 

 

[SteveM]

I found this on Yahoo JPN. From the auction listing:

 

 

八百萬圓　嘘

山僧模寫
呼五萬圓

牧谿達磨
 

Pay 8,000,000 yen for a fake mountain priest to draw you a copy

When you could have paid Mokkei himself 50,000 yen for a genuine Daruma drawing

 

It's a satirical comment on the stupidity of man. Mokkei is a famous Chinese artist from the 13th century (Muqi).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muqi

[Iaido dude]

Thanks so much, Steve. I didn't see that translation in the original listing; don't know how I missed it. I recognized the composition from a book I have of Daruma paintings that Audrey Seo sent me in which Mokkei's original is featured. I'll update the translation on my web site. Mukurai's Zen humor is much appreciated and confirms that he was indeed paying homage to Mokkei's Megura Daruma painting.

 

The auction was won originally by another bidder at quite a high hammer price. I sat that one out. Then it was offered again (apparently too rich for that earlier bidder). On the second go around, I landed it for a fraction of the original hammer price.