Lot 167: Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1768)

White-robed Kannon beside a lotus pond
Signed Ekaku, sealed Kokanki, Hakuin no in and Ekaku
Hanging scroll; ink on paper
39 x 11in. (99.2 x 28cm.)

The white-robed bodhisattva of mercy is seated in meditation on a rocky ledge above a lotus pond. This traditional Zen subject is here treated with a lighthearted, almost playful quality. The artist has nonetheless inscribed a devotional message that conveys Zen Buddhist values.

Itsukushimi no me o motte shuju o misonawasu
Fuku to ju no umi wa muryo nari

The eye of compassion sees all living beings
Bestowing good fortune as limitless as the seas.

The inscription is based on a passage from the twenty-fifth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, "Kanzeon bosatsu fumonbon" (The universal gate of Avalokiteshvara [J., Kannon]). Hakuin replaced the expression fukuju (gathering happiness) found in the sutra text with a more familiar one, fukuju, meaning prosperity and long life. While the meaning of the original is not substantially altered, the use of the character ju or kotobuki--written oversize for verbal and visual emphasis--communicates a more distinctly auspicious message.

Kannon is the bodhisattva of compassion, with an appeal beyond sectarianism. The deity reflects the more feminine side of Zen, contrasting with the bold masculinity of Hakuin's portraits of Daruma.
Hakuin has been called the greatest of the Japanese Rinzai masters and the most significant figure in the history of Zen in Japan during the last five hundred years. Advocating a return to the rigorous disciplines of Tang-dynasty Chinese Zen, he avoided the distractions of large cities and insisted on spiritual exercises. He concentrated on meditation and teaching, and gained a huge popular following. He had some sixty close disciples. Hakuin was ordained a monk at the Shoinji, a Zen temple in his native village of Hara in Shizuoka Prefecture near Mount Fuji, at the age of fifteen. This temple remained his primary base throughout most of his life. He traveled widely during the last three decades of his life, giving instruction in Zen. The majority of his painting and calligraphy dates from the latter part of his life, roughly from 1750 until his death in 1768. He was not formally trained as an artist, but this freed him from the constraints of mere technical virtuosity. By repeating a few themes over and over again, he mastered formal elements such as composition and modulation of line. His paintings (more than a thousand survive) reinforced his teaching and were also used as gifts to hosts and patrons. There seems to be no question that he used visual arts to communicate with his followers. His combination of wit and wisdom influenced the development of Zen painting in Japan.