Daruma (Bodhidharma)

The 6th-century Indian monk Daruma, known in Sanskrit as Bodhidharma, is credited with founding the Zen school of Buddhism, which emphasizes simplicity in all things and the importance of meditation (the character for Zen means “meditation”). Tsuji Kakō, who trained in Zen himself, stayed true to established depictions by representing Daruma with large, round earrings and a nontraditional Japanese appearance (with a lot of hair), while placing him in a minimalist setting, perhaps in meditation.