| Bodhidharma is the founder of Zen Buddhism. He traveled from India to China in the 6th century and spread Zen Buddhism to various places. He is said to have attained enlightenment after sitting facing a wall at Shaolin Temple for nine years. The craftsman of this fuchi-kashira, Iwama Naoyoshi, was born in Kumagaya, Musashi Province. He was a disciple of Iwama Masayoshi and was allowed to use the family name, Iwama. He started an independent business in the town in front of Kumagaya Temple. His work resembles his teacher, Masayoshi. He died in 1862, the 2nd year of Bunkyu. The Iwama family is a branch of the Hamano school, and with Iwama Masayoshi as its founder, their work inherited the bold tradition of the Hamano school, and they specialized in large figures with strong, high-quality color paintings, expressing the high-quality carving of impressive figures that people in Edo liked. This work is a dignified Bodhidharma fuchi-kashira. The Priest's Horsehair Flapper protruding from the fuchi of the rim gives dignity impression. It has passed the Tokubetsu Hozon Tosogu Shinsa in 2022. |
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