“This old monk, plowing through a field of reeds, to follow the ancient Buddhist way.”¹

In contrast to Hakuin’s other, more gestural works, the detail and treatment of Hotei in this work most likely indicate that it dates to the end of Hakuin’s life, when his painterly style became more careful and fastidious. Shown meditating atop his signature sack, Hotei appears less playful than Hakuin’s earlier iterations of the figure and more akin to a traditional monk portrait, especially given Hotei’s detailed and individualized face, which has a wry and friendly appearance.

As in many of Hakuin’s paintings, the inscription contains homophones and plays on words, and was carefully constructed to allow for multiple interpretations: it may reference the itinerant-monk tradition and Daruma crossing the Yangtze River on a reed on a Buddhist pilgrimage, or “the ancient Buddhist way.” Conversely, it may not refer to literal movement, as the phrase “a field of reeds,” or ashiwara, could also be read as “sources of evil,” implying that, through meditation, Hotei is removing ignorance and evil, forging a path for others to follow him to enlightenment.

—Bradley Bailey