This evocative shikishi card features an expressive sumi-e (ink wash) portrait of the Buddha, depicted in gentle grayscale tones with closed eyes and a peaceful demeanor. The brushwork emphasizes the spiritual tranquility often associated with Buddhist imagery, with particular care given to the flowing lines of the Buddha’s face and a raised hand in a mudra gesture symbolizing peace or protection.
Shaka Nyorai (釈迦如来), also known as Shakyamuni Buddha, is the historical founder of Buddhism—Siddhartha Gautama—who lived in India around the 5th to 6th century BCE. In Japan, Shaka Nyorai is venerated as the central figure of many Buddhist sects and is one of the most iconic and revered Buddhas in East Asian Buddhism.
“A boat rowed once by the wife, A boat rowed once by the child.”
This short verse carries a deep emotional resonance. It evokes the image of individual boats, each rowed gently by loved ones, the wife and child. Carry a Buddhist undertone of impermanence, individual karmic paths, or the bittersweet ties of family and samsara (the cycle of rebirth). It’s a subtle, poignant combination of Zen aesthetics, Buddhist philosophy, and traditional Japanese poetic sentimentality.
