Japanese Ghosts

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. yuurei 幽霊 Yurei ghost, Geist .
. kaijuu 怪獣 Kaiju - mythological beasts .
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Japanese Ghosts and Ghost Stories
kaidan 怪談

O-Bake, お化け, anything that is fearful or super-large or otherwise out of the normal range is called O-Bake. We grow huge pumpkins in the garden, O-bake kabocha.

There is, of course also
O-Bake Daruma お化け達磨 !!



From the side


http://ebikani.org/youkai/hariko/obakedaruma.htm

Here are a few more papermachee monsters to click and have fun:
http://ebikani.org/youkai/hariko/mokuzi.htm

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Here is another Monster Daruma, from a computer game.
出たー！お化け達磨



Look at some more photos here:
http://syarekou.hp.infoseek.co.jp/games/kiga5/kiga5.html
Copyright (ｃ) 2001 Syarekoube

Now let us look at some of the more traditional Japanese Ghosts.

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Lafcadio Hearn has introduced the Japanese Ghost Stories in his great book
KWAIDAN.

Kwaidan by Lafcadio Hearn - Project Gutenberg - to download

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. Yotsuya Kaidan 四谷怪談 The Ghost Story of Yotsuya .

Hanga by Hokusai about the lantern ghost of O-Iwa, the jealous wife.

お岩さん　　天保２、３（1831-32）年頃
葛飾北斎美術館
http://joho.ehime-iinet.or.jp/rekihaku/kakonotokubetutenji/

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CLICK for more samples .

One Hundred Ghosts walking at Night
"Gazu Hyakki Yagyoo" "画図百鬼夜行”
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/asin/4309726089

There is a story about Fujiwara Tsuneyuki 藤原常行 (863 - 875).
He ventured out at night to meet his sweetheart in Eastern Kyoto, although his parents had asked him not to frequent this region. In the dark he happened to see the march of the 100 demons - oh dear !
He runs away in fear toward the Northern Gate of the Shinzen 神泉 cemetary, but the demons come after him. Still they can not harm him, because his mother had swen a magical mantra, 尊勝陀羅尼 (sonshoo darani), into his robes to protect him.
source :　ja.wikipedia


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Record of One Hundred Goblins,
by Kyôsai, Kyoosai Kawanabe
hyakki gadan 百鬼画談


http://www.city.koga.ibaraki.jp/rekihaku/hyakki.htm


In this woodblock-printed book by the gifted Meiji artist Kawanabe Kyôsai (1831-1889), the tradition of telling ghost stories is shown. On certain nights, especially in the summer, people gather together to tell ghost stories by the light of one hundred string wicks burning in an oil lamp.
As each story is told, one of the wicks is extinguished, thus making the room darker and darker. At the conclusion of the hundredth story, the room is thrown into darkness--and a spirit is said to appear.
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/ukiyo-e/images/8728s.jpg
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/ukiyo-e/images.html


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Thirty-six ghosts by Taiso Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
新形三十六怪撰

prints were published from 1889 until 1892.
Yoshitoshi's Strange Tales
by John Stevenson
source : Jan van Reek


. Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 月岡芳年 .

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Hokusai made a great collection of 100 monster prints
One Hundred Ghost Stories
(Hyaku monogatari 百物語)
kigo for late summer

One of my favorite is the Dish Mansion (Sara yashiki　皿屋敷)


© Tokyo National Museum
http://www.tnm.go.jp/en/servlet/Con?pageId=B01&processId=01&event_id=2040

More about the One Hundred Ghost Stories
http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/h/hyakumonogatari.htm


. お菊と焼継屋 O-Kiku and the Yakitsugiya .
歌川広重 Utagawa Hiroshige - and the surprised pottery repairman
... a Japanese ghost story (kaidan) of broken trust and broken promises, leading to a dismal fate ...

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Scroll of Monsters Yookai Emaki 妖怪絵巻


Look at them all here:
http://www.rekihaku.ac.jp/kikaku/index59/

And the collection of monster painting of the kids
http://www.rekihaku.ac.jp/kikaku/index59/emaki/index.html


. Buson Yokai Emaki 蕪村妖怪絵巻 Buson Monster Scroll .
. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 (1715 - 1783) Painter and Poet .


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Old Household Tools, Tsukumogami 付喪神

According to "Yin-Yang Book", more than 100-year-old tools get souls and disconcert the public. Those tools are called Tsukumogami. At every beginning of a new year, the event called Sweeping soot is held in which old tools are thrown away on an alley.


http://ddb.libnet.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp/exhibit-e/otogi/tsukumo/tsukumo.html

After reading the explanation about the spirits of the old tools I finally understood why second-hand is such a hard business in Japan. Nobody wants to get the vengeful spirit, that might come with an old cupboard or shoe. Most old belongings of a dead person are ritually burned.

When we moved into the old farmhouse, we had a long purifying ceremony to make sure that Grandpa, who lived there all his life, would not stay with us for ever... Now, I guess, he is happily looking down at the Paradise Hermitage, GokuRakuAn.

Here is another link to it:
... many people were frightened at the possibility that their objects might come alive and present new problems for them, so they would often throw them away when they reached 99 years. Because of this, when the items did come alive, they would sometimes be angry that they had been thrown out after being used so long. They would band together and oftentimes go back and scare the people who had thrown them out, for being so wasteful.
http://www.youkaimura.org/tsuku.htm


. WKD - Ningyoo kuyoo 人形供養
Memorial Ceremony for old dolls 　 .


- quote -
Understood by many Western scholars as a type of Japanese yōkai, the Tsukumogami (付喪神, "Kami of tools") was a concept popular in Japanese folklore as far back as the tenth century, used in the spread of Shingon Buddhism. Today, the term is generally understood to be applied to virtually any object, “that has reached their 100th birthday and thus become alive and self-aware,” though this definition is not without its controversy.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


. tsukumogami haiku by Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 .

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The Ground Spider, The Earth Spider
Tsuchigumo zooshi 土蜘蛛草紙 scroll 　



The story is from the Heian Period. Look at all the photos of this old scroll here.
.. longuemare.hp.infoseek.co.jp/tutigumo_...



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It became a great success as a Kabuki Play later on.

It was only in Meiji period, late 19th century when TSUCHIGUMO was arranged as KABUKI play. The beautifully costumed evil character Earth Spider and its performances of throwing paper threads like spider webs, won public popularity.



http://ueno.cool.ne.jp/mirukashihime/kabuki.htm



Tsukioka Kōgyo 月岡耕漁 Tsukioka Kogyo (1869-1927)


Mask of tsuchigumo 土蜘蛛, the Ground Spider
for the famous Mibu Kyoogen 壬生狂言 performance
. Mibudera 壬生寺 Mibu-Dera - Kyoto .

Katsushika Hokusai - Raiko and the Earth Spider

- kumo 蜘蛛と伝説 Legends about spiders / Spinnen -


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Book about some - - - - - 怪奇鳥獣図巻 strange animals



Look at some more here:
http://www.kousakusha.co.jp/DTL/kaiki.html

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The Old Chinese Sutra about Mountain and Sea Creatures
古代中国で編纂された地理と博物学の本『山海経』


http://www.chinjuh.mydns.jp/sengai/bovtigro/pa20.htm

Click on any of the clickable words.
http://www.chinjuh.mydns.jp/sengai/p01.htm


. kaijuu 怪獣 Kaiju - mythological beasts .
genjuu 幻獣 Genju, mysterious creature, cryptid


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The Complete Database about Ghosts
In Japanese
このデータベースには、日本民俗学の文献から集められた怪異・妖怪伝承についての20,719件の書誌情報が入っています。
source : www.nichibun.ac.jp/youkaidb .


Animals, ghosts and Yōkai depicted in Ukiyo-e
source : through-the-sapphire-sky .



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Quote from About Japan. Read more on these link pages. http://japanese.about.com/library/weekly/aa102800.htm Obake, Bakemono Literally means, "transforming thing." "O" is an honorific prefix and "bake" is a noun form for the verb "bakeru (to change, to transform)." It can also be used more generally to refer to anything that is weird or grotesque. Yuurei According to Shinto beliefs, all people have a soul called "reikon." When a person dies, the reikon leaves the body and joins the souls of its ancestors. However, when a person dies suddenly by murder, is slain in battle, commits suicide, or when he or she hasn't been given an appropriate funeral, the reikon may become a yuurei to seek revenge. Many yuurei are female ghosts who suffered badly in life from love, jealousy, sorrow, or regret. Male yuurei are less common. Yuurei usually appear in a white kimono (katabira), which people were buried in the old days, and have no legs. They also wear a white triangular piece of paper or cloth (hitaikakushi) on their forehead. They usually appear between 2 and 3 a.m. http://japanese.about.com/library/weekly/aa102800.htm I will tell you about "youkai," and look at the characters for them. Youkai literally means, "bewitching apparition." They include monsters, goblins, and ghouls. They usually appear at dawn or dusk. Unlike yuurei, which are the souls of the dead and downright scary, youkai are comical, bizarre and mischievous in some way. Here are some youkai. Oni Oni, demons or ogres, are one of the most famous youkai. They are huge and have horns. The color of their body is red, blue, or black. They usually carry a big iron club (kanabou). They are best known for guarding the gate of Buddhist hell. They also often appear in folktales. (Momotaro, Issun-boshi etc.) They are dumb, cruel, and malicious. On Setsubun (Feb. 3rd), there is a custom to drive away evil sprits. People scatter soybeans outside of doorways, shouting "Oni wa soto, Fuku wa uchi! (Demon out, Good luck in!)." Kappa Kappa are supernatural creatures which live both on land and in water. They are as tall as a four or five year old child. They have a beak-like snout, and fins on their hands and feet. They also have a shell on their back, and a water-filled dish on their head. As long as the dish is full of water, kappa keep their supernatural powers. Kappa are known for dragging people into the water and pulling out their livers through their anuses. Although kappa harm people sometimes, there are also many tales where they have helped people. They are very curious. They often appear in cartoons because of their lovable images. Kappa love sumo wrestling and cucumbers. That is why cucumber sushi rolls are called "kappa maki". "Okappa" are bobbed hairstyles because they look like the kappa's hairstyles. Kappa are excellent swimmers. There is a saying "Kappa no kawa nagare (a drowning kappa)" which means, even an expert can make mistakes sometimes. Rokurokubi Female monsters with long, flexible necks. They look just like ordinary humans during the day, but at night, they extend their necks to frighten or spy on people. They sometimes turn their human faces into those of demons. Yuki-Onna A snow woman, appears in a white kimono on a stormy night. She causes travelers to become lost and freeze to death. Click here to read the story of "Yuki-Onna" by Lafcadio Hearn (Koizumi Yakumo). Hitotsume-Kozou A one-eyed goblin, literally has a large eye in the center of its face. It looks like the shaved head of a priest. It does not play tricks, but just scares people. Tengu Tengu is also a youkai. Click here to read about "tengu." http://japanese.about.com/library/weekly/aa110400.htm

- KAPPA - 河童 / かっぱ /　カッパ - Water Goblin -
My Kappapedia

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Read Mark Schumacher about
Amano Jyaku Amanjaku、Amanojaku 天邪鬼
Fox (Oinari)　お稲荷さま
Kappa 河童
Tengu　天狗
ONI (DEMONS) in Japanese Buddhist and Shinto Traditions

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Some more links about the ghosts and monsters of Japan

Japanese Ghosts
By Tim Screech

The Japanese world of the supernatural comprises a dizzying array of characters, from the humorously bizarre to the downright terrifying. In the 18th century, Toriyama Sekien attempted to categorize the many different types of ghostly beings that inhabit the Japanese landscape, its heavens and its hells; the results of his efforts filled four huge volumes. Here, Tim Screech takes us on a slightly more abbreviated tour.
http://www.mangajin.com/mangajin/samplemj/ghosts/ghosts.htm



No-Masks List
Ghosts & Spirits
Hannya
Demons
http://www.pasar5.com/NOH_MASK/mlist.html



Ghosts, Demons and Spirits in Japanese Lore
Norman A. Rubin


The Realm of the Hell-Dwellers
A Buddhist Perspective
The eight hot hells and eight cold hells lie thousands of miles beneath the surface of the southern continent Jambudvipa. The major hells are stacked one on top of the other with the worst hell on the bottom.



The Wheel of Becoming
Bhavachakra artwork copyright by Ryuei. 2000.
http://nichirenscoffeehouse.net/ShuteiMandala/vedic.html



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The vengeful spirits, goryoo, onryoo 御霊、怨霊

. Vengeful spirits, onryo




akuryoo 悪霊 evil spirit

悪霊がきてざわめきぬ黒葡萄
akuryo ga kite zawamekinu kurobudo

an evil spirit has come -
the black grapes are in uproar

Katsumi Ozawa 小澤克己


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- - - - -  Read my articles about

Bakeneko, the Monster Cat ... 化け猫

Oni, Japanese Demons ... 鬼　と美術

TENGU and DARUMA

Tsuchinoko, tsuchi no ko ツチノコ or 槌の子 Hammerspawn legendary reptile, almost a snake

Ghosts (yookai, bakemono) .. and haiku



Halloween, Hallowe’en , and kigo for haiku

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Suggested further Reading

Japanese art is laden with images and allusions. Contemporary viewers may encounter difficulty recognizing the literary and historical allusions and other cultural codes embedded in early modern Japanese works. However, a more careful viewing leads to the exciting recognition that Japanese art covers themes familiar to Westerners and Easterners alike. The individual versus society; humanity and the forces of nature; this world vis á vis the Ultimate--are among the themes handled in Japanese art as they are in other cultures' artistic expressions.

Read a great exploration with many woodblock prints here:
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/ukiyo-e/images.html


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天野行雄さんによる妖怪民芸品４選
Exhibition of the Monster Folk Art by Amano Yukio



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Pandemonium and Parade
Japanese Monsters and the Culture of Yokai

Michael Dylan Foster
http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/10977.php

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. Oni 鬼　Demon Amulets .


. WASHOKU
Yookai 妖怪 Monsters and Japanese Food


. yuurei 幽霊 Yurei ghost, Geist .

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- #tsuchigumo #spider -
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Engimono for good luck

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Engimono, little things for good luck 縁起物



Things red, round and small are pretty good for your auspicious future, especially during the New Year season. Daruma is one of them, but there are others.

Why is the Tumbler Doll Daruma always of RED color?
Red was the color of the robe of a high-ranking priest and since Daruma Daishi was the founder of the Zen Sect, he must have worn a red robe. The patterns painted in gold on the doll represent the Buddhist stole that a priest wore.

During the Edo Period, Daruma came to be seen by the townspeople as the healer of smallpox. Nowadays we have medicine to cure this illness, but in former times children suffered a lot from this and other diseases. It was believed that RED would ward off diseases, so the Red Daruma Doll with a threatening face became the preventor and healer of sickness. Modern medicine has found out that the color red really helps prevent smallpox!
Who is Daruma ?


hoosoo-e 疱瘡絵 prints to protect children from smallpox

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CLICK for more books about the toys of Edo.

江戸の縁起物 - 浅草仲見世 助六物語
Engimono - The Good Luck Charms of Edo


. Tokyo and Edo Folk Art .

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Now let us look at some others.

Why is the monkey a symbol of good luck? In Japanese, you can say
ma ga saru, 魔が去る, the bad luck is going to leave.
SARU means also monkey, so the monkey might help to make your bad luck go away.


Migawari-zaru of Naramachi, a Monkey Charm to take on your bad luck

In the old part of Nara, ther is a special custom to hang out a small red monkey to ward off evil. A special Kooshin-do Hall (庚申堂) is dedicated to the blue-faced heavenly guardian called Kooshin-san. Good-luck charms modeled after a monkey, which acts as a messenger from Kooshin-san, are hanging at the eaves of houses in Nara-machi so that evil spirits can be driven away. The charm is called "Migawari-zaru," or a monkey of substitution, because the monkey is supposed to get disasters in place of people. One doll for each person of the home is hanged on the eves of the house.

The Kooshin Deity (庚申 Koojin, Koshin, Kojin, Koshin) is also venerated in Chinese Daoism and this believe was taken over by the townspeople during the Edo period. There was this belief:

During one year according to the old lunar calendar, there are six Kooshin-days of the monkey. Three worms which inhabit the human body (san-shi no mushi) get out on these days and report the sins of the people to the gods. Kooshin was a popular deity that protected those who should be punished by the gods, and his messenger, the monkey, was therefore punished instead of the human sinner. Hence the name “migawari” “instead of my body”.

Migawari Monkey

http://www.naramachi.org/what/migawari.html

Why would a monkey take on the punishment of human sins?
The explanation brings us to Dunhunag, the oasis in the Gobi desert with the 1000 Buddhist caves, where there is a picture of a monkey bound by hand and feet, with a band around his belly. A monkey was believed to protect humans from evil and in the charming story of the Chinese pilgrim walking all the way to India to obtain Buddhist sutras, one of his magic protectors was the famous Monkey Son-Gokuu 孫悟空。
This extremely famous story has been translated into English by Arthur Waley, MONKEY.


http://homepage1.nifty.com/tadahiko/NANI/014-KOJIN.HTML

Another name of the charm is "Negai-zaru," or a monkey for wishes. If you write your wishes on the monkey's back and hang it, your wishes are said to come true.

http://urano.org/kankou/naramati/mati10.html#kousin


「ならまち民話地図」
in many languages, PDF-files

source : nara-edu.ac.jp


. san-shi no mushi, sanshi no mushi 三尸の虫 The Three Worms .

. medicine for kan no mushi 疳の虫 .

. Kooshin shinkoo　庚申信仰　Koshin Shinko belief .

. Folk Toys from Nara .

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Kooshin Hall in NishinoShinya-cho,Nara-City

The Koshin-do Hall is dedicated to a blue-faced heavenly guardian called Koshin-san. Good-luck charms modeled after a monkey, which acts as a messenger from Koshin-san, are hanging at the eaves of houses in Nara-machi so that evil spirits can be driven away. The charm is called "Migawari-zaru," or a monkey of substitution, because the monkey is supposed to get disasters in place of people.

Another name of the charm is "Negai-zaru," or a monkey for wishes. If you write your wishes on the monkey's back and hang it, your wishes are said to come true.
http://www1.sphere.ne.jp/naracity/e/kan_spot_data/e_si159.html


庚申堂（こうしんどう）

「奈良オリエント館」の北隣が写真の様に古い町家続きの町並みに解け合って佇む西新町の「庚申堂」、堂内の中央に木造彩色の青面金剛立像が安置されて、毎年３月の第２日曜日と、１１月２３日（祝）「勤労感謝の日」に講の人達によって「庚申祭」が行われ、参拝者の方に大根とこんにゃくの田楽がふるまわれています。なお、軒下の提灯の後ろにぶら下がっている三日月形ぬいぐるみは庚申信仰の「身代わり猿」で、日頃人の体の中にいる悪玉の「三戸ノ虫」が、庚申ノ日に抜け出して、天を支配する玉皇大帝（北極星）に告げ口をしますが、悪事がばれても「身代わり猿」が人に代わって玉皇大帝の怒りを全部受けて呉れます。
http://urano.org/kankou/naramati/mati10.html#kousin

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Aka-beko, akabeko, a red cow protecting from smallpox (like Daruma)

This little folk toy comes from the Tohoku region of Northern Japan.

Japanese reference
http://www.city.aizuwakamatsu.fukushima.jp/e/kanko/kokusai-kanko/area/art.htm
http://www.aizu-liaison.co.jp/liaison/sanbutu/sanbutu9.html
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This whimsical lacquered red papier-mache figure of an ox is known as an “aka-beko” which, literally translated, means red calf. Mid-20th Century. Her head, which is attached by a string, nods up and down and from side to side. This little folk toy comes from Fukushima Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan. Some 350 years ago, the townspeople constructed a large temple there dedicated to Buddha.

Heavy loads of lumber had to be transported long distances, and one of the oxen used was a large reddish cow. When the building was completed, she refused to leave the site. Shortly thereafter a member of the ruling clan fashioned a small effigy of the devout cow as a child’s toy. Made of lacquered papier-mache, the free swinging head bobs easily with any movement and delights children of all ages. When a great plague of smallpox swept the country, people appealed to Buddha for deliverance.

It was noticed that children who had this toy were not afflicted with the dread disease, and the superstitious local populace began to make similar toys as amulets against illness. (See “Mingei” by Amaury Saint-Gilles) Aka-beko are looked upon as omens of good luck and prosperity and are given as gifts at New Year’s and other auspicious occasions.
Dimensions: 11” long, 5 ¼” high.
Curtesy of B & C Antiques

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Continue here


Daruma Doll Museum : Cats and Daruma 猫と達磨

Read a detailed essay by Mark Schumacher about the Monkeys in Japanese art and lore. !!!

Information about
Hoosoo 疱瘡　＜＞　Smallpox, Red and Daruma (by Bernard Faure) An Essay

Edo Toys and beni lipstick

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http://www.naramachi.org/what/migawari.html

The Three Worms in Taoism and Chinese Mecicine
www.ancientway.com/pages/ThreeWorms.html

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! More Engimono !
- click on the images for more -

DARUMA

Founder of Zen Buddhism in China. Fill in one eye and make a wish. Fill in the other eye when the wish has come true.

Tumbler Dolls (okiagari-koboshi)

That is another version of our Daruma san. For the New Year, you get just one more than members of the family and pray for health and good luck. This is a doll and custom of Aizu Wakamatsu, Northern Japan.


Golden Crucian Carp (金鮒)

This wonderous fish called FUNA from Ibaragi prefecture helps cure smallpox too. Especially when you eat it.


Kirin 麒麟 Kirin, not the giraffe

Legendary animal from China.Body like a deer, tail like an ox, hoofs like a horse, forehead like a wolf, with wings to take off to the clouds. Appears when a king was crowned in ancient China. Today a good beer!

. Kirinjishi 麒麟獅子 Kirin Lion Head .


Hare in the Moon (tsuki no usagi)

He pounds the herb of immortality to make the elixir of long life.
Pounding rice in the moon


Mallet for Good Luck (fuku-tsuchi)

Usually held by the Daikoku, one of the Seven Gods of Good Luck. You hammer your straw, make sandals of it, sell them and voila, you are a rich man.


Manekineko, maneki neko 招き猫 the beckoning cat
At the entrance of a shop or restaurant, she helps pulling customers in the store.The left hand up beckons for financial luck,The right hand up for a thousand customers- or vice versa, who knows?!


Mount Fuji (Fuji-san)

If your first dream of the New Year shows you this mountain, you are lucky for the rest of the year.
First Dream ... a kigo


New Year Ricecakes (kagami-mochi 鏡餅)

Decorated and later eaten in a good soup.This is maybe the most common New Year decoration.


Raijin 　雷神　 God of Thunder
A deity taken over from ancient Indian religion. Protector of the harvest.Usually with his buddy, the God of the Winds (fuujin raijin).
Gods of the Elements


Shichifuku-jin 七福神　＜＞　Seven Gods of Good Luck
Usually shown in a “Boat of Treasures” (takara-bune)


Tanuki 狸 ... A Badger posing as Daruma
Usually made of Shigaraki Pottery. He brings luck with many parts of his own body and things he is carrying.



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全国区の縁起物　だるま（No.1076）
Good Luck Daruma from all parts of Japan



Tokyo Shinbun　東京新聞
source : www.tokyo-np.co.jp


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Go-en ga arimasu yoo ni!
ご縁がありますように！

May we be bound by good fortune and good karma!

a pun with go en　五円 five yen coin !



Shared by Kunio Wakabayashi
Joys of Japan


. tashoo no en　他生の縁 karma relations and haiku .


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. Engi food for the New Year .

. Engi Food - the Octopus .


. Regional Folk Toys from Japan .


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- #engimono #goodluck #newyear -
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Newsweek Daruma

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Daruma as Newsweek Cover Photo



http://www.nwj.ne.jp/

日本が変わる
若い「397世代」が積極的に政治に参加しはじめた。この変化は衆院選と日本社会に何をもたらすのか。

衆院選　397世代が日本を変える
　2000年代に30代＋90年代に大学生＋70年代前後生まれ――「無関心層」の変身が馴れ合い政治を打ち砕く

争点　「ミュージカル選挙」の楽屋裏
　「刺客」を送り込んだ小泉に批判的な勢力はある重要な点を見落としている

国際比較　日本とドイツの崖っぷち選挙
　アジアと欧州、2地域のリーダーが復権するカギは改革派の勝利にあり

外国メディア　ここが変だよ日本の選挙
　世界各国の記者が衆院選と日本の未来を斬る
　
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The Elections of September 2005 in Japan


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Daruma and the USB memory



本物・高崎だるまのUSBメモリで開運祈願!?　
だるまさんの記憶

USBグッズを取り扱うサイト「ゑびす屋」で販売する。

http://ww25.darumouse.com/usbm-kaiundaruma.php

source : www.itmedia.co.jp/news


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Yakimono logo

**********************
Please send your contributions to Gabi Greve
Daruma Discussion Forum

Alphabetical Index of the Daruma Museum

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worldkigo

Rush-Leaf Daruma (royoo)

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Daruma on a Rush-Leaf . . on a reed
Royoo Daruma　芦葉達磨

There are many renderings of Daruma figures, but what they want to express on the inside is always the same. It is the spirit of Daruma Daishi (about 5th Cent.), the eighth generation Great Master after Shakyamuni Buddha, founder of the Zen sect. Legend says that Daruma was born the third prince in a South Indian kingdom. He was of a sharp mind already as a child and followed the Great Master Prajnaatara, where he studied Buddhism intensly and carried on his tradition. He then took off to China to preach Buddhism, taking the sea road to South China.

He was invited by Emperor Wu and expounded his wisdom for him. But the emperor did not understand the preachings of Daruma, so Daruma took off again, crossing the Yangtse River to the east and ended up in the Shaolin Temple near Loyang. He stood on some reeds when crossing the river, which leads to the famous iconographic rendering of "Rush-leaf Daruma" (royoo Daruma 芦葉達磨).

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正阿弥勝義作　芦葉達磨像
©（林原美術館蔵）

by Shooami Katsuyoshi
http://www.libnet.pref.okayama.jp/mmhp/kyodo/person/syouami/syouami.htm

Shooami was born in Tsuyama, a city close to my present home in Japan.

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Nantembo (1839-1925)
Daruma crossing the Yangzi river on a rush leaf



..... Although the emperor was gracious, he did not pretend to grasp Bodhidharma's meaning, and the monk decided to travel north, crossing the Yangtze River on a rush leaf (J. royô) and went to the northern kingdom of Wei where he spent nine years meditating in the Shaolin monastery.

Bodhidharma's mysterious crossing the Yangzi River on a rush leaf has first been mentioned in the 13th century: The Wudeng huiyuan, edited in 1252 by Dachuan Puji (1179-1253), the Wujia zhangzong zan, compiled two years later by Xisou Shaotan (d. 1279) and the Shishi tongjian, in 1270 by Ben Jue state Bodhidharma's breaking off a rush leaf and crossing the Yangzi river. But these sources do not indicate the use of the rush leaf as a vehicle.

This aspect probably was introduced later to compensate Bodhidharma's fruitless visit at the emperors court. Earlier sources as the Jingde chuandeng lu (J. Kidoroku) compiled by Xutang Zhiyu (J. Kido Chigu, 1185-1269), in the years 1004-07 or the Chuanfa zhengzong ji, 1060 do not mention any rush leaf at all. (Brinker/Kanazawa 1993, 208).

Zen practice has had little use for miraculous deeds, stressing instead the enlightenment of the everyday world. The Chinese character that originally meant both reed boat and reed lost its first meaning over the course of time. This inspired the idea that Daruma had crossed on a reed rather than in a reed boat. (Addiss 1989, 57.)

© Bachmann Eckenstein Art & Antiques
http://www.art-antiques.ch/nantembo/paintings/02.html

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Daruma riding leaves and crossing the sea to Japan



Attr. To Hokusai or Oi, Hokusai's daughter. Most probably Oi.

© The Art of Japan, R. Waldmann

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By Miyamoto Musashi



http://www.webtsc.com/musashi/


芦葉達磨（ろようだるま）・浮鴨図（うきがもず）
宮本武蔵筆
http://www.city.kumamoto.kumamoto.jp/shiseidayori/04/01/syokubutsu/

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In a Chinese style, with hat and staff



禅祖達磨大師が芦の葉に乗り黄河を越える有名な伝説の場面。古来中国や我国の著名な禅僧諸氏が競って書いたので、数多くの水墨画がある。
[落款]　甲子元春釋紹明並題(印)
寸法　(本紙)縦98×横42.5cm　(軸寸)縦172×横52cm
© 有限会社アンダーアート
http://www.anderart.jp/page_thumb427.htm

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Daruma on a Reed (Rozan Eko)



© by Jacqueline McAbery

http://www.createart.com/darumaonareed.htm

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Look at more pictures here:

Paintings by Hakuin Zenji 白隠の禅画と墨蹟
The Ryu'un-ji Collection

http://iriz.hanazono.ac.jp/hakuin/rekihaku/


蘆葉達磨大師也
Great Teacher Bodhidharma riding a reed.

The title and inscription are based on the legend that Bodhidharma, after his unsuccessful meeting with Emperor Wu, crossed the Yangze River on a reed as he made his way north toward the country of Wei.

是でも蘆葉達磨大師也
The picture and inscription are a pairing of two genres of Daruma portraits: Daruma on a Reed (芦葉達磨 Royo Daruma) ), explained above, and One Shoe Daruma (隻履達磨 Sekiri Daruma, based on the legend that Bodhidharma after his death and burial, was seen walking through the mountains on his way back to India, wearing a single shoe. When Bodhidharma’s grave was later examined, it was found to be empty except for the Patriarch’s other shoe). These stories may be regarded as expressive of the time- and space-transcending nature of the buddhadharma.

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Cleaveland Museum
The Zen Patriarch Daruma on a Reed

Bodhidharma (Daruma in Japanese) is the founder of the Zen school of Buddhism. He is usually represented as a bearded figure whose dark-skinned appearance refers to his Indian ancestry. His scowling facial expression not only signifies the determination with which he pursues religious enlightenment, but also discourages followers who are not similarly motivated.
http://www.clevelandart.org/explore/artistwork.asp?artistLetter=S&recNo=85&woRecNo=0




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Daruma riding leaves and crossing the sea to Japan



Attributed to Hokusai or his daughter, Oi


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Geisha as Daruma Crossing the Sea
Suzuki Harunobu


- - - - - and even more direct



Ippitsusai Bunchoo 一筆斎文調 Buncho (ca. 1760–1794)

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Daruma Crossing the Yangtze River
WHAT DOES THE REED SYMBOLIZE?
From a conventional viewpoint, it might symbolize the miraculous feat of crossing a mighty river while balanced on a tiny reed, or it might refer to "crossing to the other shore," or, as author John Stevens suggests, it could symbolize smooth sailing over the turbulent waters of samsara (cycle of suffering). But a growing number of art scholars think otherwise. Charles Lachman for instance, says the first textual reference to the river crossing [on a reed] dates from 1108, that the theme did not become widespread until the 13th century, and that the rushleaf [reed] motif should not be considered a biographical narrative, as heretofore believed. Scholar Bernard Faure suggests a radically new interpretation. Since Daruma was, by the 16th century, considered a protector against smallpox and other epidemic diseases, Faure believes the reed was used by the Japanese to establish Daruma's credentials as an epidemic deity. Writes Faure: "Epidemic deities were related to water, and often came from the West, crossing large bodies of water.
source : Mark Schumacher


Daruma as a Woman
By Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎 (1760-1849).
Daruma Crossing the River on a Reed.
By Suzuki Harunobu 鈴木晴信 (1743 - 1807).
source : Mark Schumacher

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よしあしに渡り行く世や無一物
yoshiashi ni watari-yuku yo ya mu ichibutsu

this world
we pass on a rush leaf -
not one thing


Painting is here :
. Tagami Kikusha 田上菊舎 Poetess and Painter


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