“Using heaven as a hat and a reed as a boat, He floated across 10,000 leagues of waves, when he went back to the west he left a single sandal; he roared like a tiger in 3,000 worlds . . . He wears a thick straw hat; know the principle behind the meaning of the first patriarch’s coming from the west in India to here in the East.—The First Patriarch Engaku Daishi, brushed and inscribed by his 47th descendant with deep gratitude and respect”¹

This large-scale Daruma is unique in Daishin Gitō’s oeuvre. The overall size, detailed painting, and formal inscription likely indicate that this work was commissioned by a Zen temple.

 

—Bradley Bailey