Mokugyo Daruma, named plate by Toriyama Sekien
Printed label 木魚達磨 directly inspected in the enlarged image. A round wooden-fish-like body wears a monk’s hood in Sekien’s Mokugyo Daruma illustration. Exact URL copied from returned IIIF manifest.
Overview
Mokugyo Daruma is pictured as a rounded figure seated against a tree. Its large oval body resembles a wooden percussion instrument, with curved bands and a lower opening. Above it, a moustached human face peers from a patterned hood. Small scale-patterned hands rest against the body, while the lower edge forms a rounded base rather than ordinary visible human legs.
The printed title 木魚達磨 connects the wooden-fish instrument with Daruma imagery. The figure combines an object used in Buddhist practice with a recognizably monastic portrait form, so neither component should be erased in classification. This profile documents the printed conjunction and its visible details. It does not present the apparition as a historical monk or claim that every wooden fish was believed to become this being.
Origins & earliest records
Toriyama Sekien, Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro (1784), volume 2; selected named plate directly inspected in the institutional digitization. This is not a claim that an oral tradition began in that year.
Records & interpretation
Printed label 木魚達磨, image composition and exact manifest URL directly checked. Explanatory cursive text is not completely transcribed; unverified narrative powers are omitted.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro
Volume 2; IIIF canvas index 19 (zero-based); HyakkitsurezureV2Tori_0020.jp2. Individually enlarged and inspected.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Primary records and illustrations
Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro
Volume 2; Smithsonian Libraries digitization. IIIF canvas index 19 (zero-based); HyakkitsurezureV2Tori_0020.jp2
Printed label 木魚達磨 directly inspected in the enlarged image. A round wooden-fish-like body wears a monk’s hood in Sekien’s Mokugyo Daruma illustration. Exact URL copied from returned IIIF manifest.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Institutional primary-book recordHyakki Tsurezure Bukuro — institutional volume 2Research access: 2026-10-05
- Primary illustrated plate / institutional digitizationMokugyo Daruma (木魚達磨) — inspected primary plateResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationMokugyo Daruma, named plate by Toriyama Sekien
Printed label 木魚達磨 directly inspected in the enlarged image. A round wooden-fish-like body wears a monk’s hood in Sekien’s Mokugyo Daruma illustration. Exact URL copied from returned IIIF manifest.
