Lot 1072: Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1786) Hotei with a treasure sack Edo period (1615-1868), 18th century

Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1786)
Hotei with a treasure sackEdo period (1615-1868), 18th centuryHanging scroll, ink on paper with Hotei holding his open treasure sack on which are inscribed the characters Fukuju kai muryo (A limitless ocean of good fortune and happiness), sealed Kokantei, Hakuin and EkakuWith a wood storage box 10 1/8 x 12 3/4in (25.7 x32.4cm)
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. Here he is shown seated, mostly obscured by his immense treasure sack, which he holds wide open, clenching one edge between his teeth. On the bag is written the phrase Fukuju kai muryo, an expression meaning limitless happiness, and a reference to Hotei's open treasure bag endlessly dispenses good fortune in the form of gifts.For other examples of this subject by Hakuin, see Yoshizawa Katsuhiro (Hanazono Daigaku Kokusai Zengaku Kenkyūjo), Hakuin Zenga bokuseki (1050 Paintings and Calligraphies by the Zen Master Hakuin), 3 volumes, Tokyo, Nigensha, 2009, cat. nos. 310-312.