閑意自養神 [= Relaxing the mind will refresh the spirit]

[Japan?], [c. early 20th century]. Accordion-bound, large octavo artist's sketchbook, containing 25 double-page, hand-painted color images, including nature scenes, portraits of Hotei and Daruma, and village life. The images are minimalist and bold, with heavy influence from Chinese brush painting. The artist is anonymous, but clearly quite talented and likely Buddhist. Bound in blue cloth-covered boards with paper label on upper cover; board edges rubbed, water stain to lower right corner of one image. An excellent collection of original art, most likely Japanese. Budai, known as "Hotei" in Japanese, a semi-historical monk and deity who is often identified (truncated) with and venerated as the future or Maitreya Buddha in Chan Buddhism and Buddhist scripture. Bodhidharma, known in Japanese as "Daruma," was a semi-legendary Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th or 6th century CE. He is traditionally credited as the transmitter of Chan Buddhism to China, and is regarded as its first Chinese patriarch. (Inventory #: 48495)