Abstract
The Rinzai 臨濟 monk Hakuin Ekaku 白隱慧鶴 (1686-1769) actively engaged in wide-ranging proselytizing activities in addition to his own religious practice, and because he revived the Rinzai sect, which had been in decline, he is known as the restorer of the Rinzai sect. He also turned his energies to painting and calligraphy, and many of his works have survived down to the present day. His paintings and calligraphy, executed with imposing deliberation, possess a high degree of spirituality that jolts the viewer. Among such works there is Menpeki Daruma 面壁達磨, depicting Bodhidharma sitting in meditation with his face to a wall, a particularly striking work in which it is impossible to tell whether what has been created is a painting or a written character. By focusing on this work, I clarify the meaning that creating such works of pictorial calligraphy (moji-e 文字繪) had for Hakuin and their characteristics, ascertain the history of such pictorial calligraphy in the history of painting and calligraphy, and determine the position of Hakuin's pictorial calligraphy.
Responses to questions such as whether or not to use letters in calligraphy <→ painting?> and how to differentiate between calligraphy and painting change depending on the artist's view of art and his philosophy. The newly discovered Menpeki Daruma by Hakuin, the main focus of this article, provides ideal material for considering these questions.
In this article, focusing on the newly discovered Menpeki Daruma, I compare it with other similar paintings of Bodhidharma, other examples of pictorial calligraphy such as Gu Daruma 愚だるま and Kakushi Daruma 隱だるま, and also other paintings and works of calligraphy. As well as unravelling Hakuin's teachings encapsulated in Menpeki Daruma, I discuss matters relating to Hakuin and pictorial calligraphy and clarify how he moved back and forth between calligraphy and painting and sublimated them both.
