Lot 58: HAKUIN EKAKU (1685-1768) Mamezo Hotei (Hotei in the Guise of a Street Performer) Edo period (1615-1868), mid-18th century

HAKUIN EKAKU (1685-1768)
Mamezo Hotei (Hotei in the Guise of a Street Performer)
Edo period (1615-1868), mid-18th century
Hanging scroll, ink on paper; depicting Hotei standing on his bag and wearing a happy expression as he balances a pole in his teeth, inscribed In front of the Imperial Palace a seven-year-old maiden serves sake, with succession seal and two further seals, one reading Hakuin
With wood tomobako inscribed and authenticated by Yamakawa Koichi (1902-1977), the economist and prominent scholar of Zen painting
43 3/4 x 10 13/8in (111.3 x 26.5cm)
81 x 12 1/2in (206 x 32cm) overall

Provenance:
John Stevens Collection

For a similar treatment of this subject by Hakuin, see a scroll in the Manyo'an Collection (inv. no. 2002.24).

The great priest and painter Hakuin probably depicted Daruma, the Indian founder of Zen Buddhism, more often than any other figure subject, but he was perhaps even fonder of Hotei ("Cloth Bag"), the jolly wandering Chinese monk who, in Hakuin's art, stands in part for Hakuin himself and in part for Everyman, with all his foibles and virtues. Hakuin painted Hotei several times in the guise of a late-seventeenth-century beggar named Mamezo ("Beany") who was famed for his performances on the streets of Osaka, including bodily contortions, humorous banter, and feats of magic and juggling. Mamezo was best known for his plate-spinning on top of a long pole held in his teeth: the plate is invisible here, suggesting that it was tossed in the air before being caught on the top of the pole.

While the severe Daruma cut himself off from the world and shut himself up in his cave to focus on meditation, Hakuin's Hotei is the exact opposite, living like Hakuin right in the middle of things, dispensing Buddhist wisdom symbolized by a big bag of goodies; Hotei not only enjoys entertainment, but also provides it for others. Since plate-spinning requires just as much concentration as deep Zen meditation, Hakuin is teaching us here that whatever we do, we must do it fully in the present, without slacking or daydreaming.

The inscription on this scroll is rather puzzling. It is a verse from a popular folk ditty sung at celebrations (although the maiden is usually 17, not seven, years of age). One possible meaning might be that If you wake up and see your Buddha nature, what pleasure you will have!