Prostitute Plucking Daruma's Beard, first half 19th century, Inoue Setsuzan, Japanese, active early 19th century, 42 1/2 ¡Ñ 22 9/16 in. (107.95 ¡Ñ 57.31 cm) (image)79 1/8 ¡Ñ 27 7/8 in. (200.98 ¡Ñ 70.8 cm) (without roller), Ink and color on paper, Japan, 19th century, The prostitute is plucking the beard of Bodhidharma, known in Japan as Daruma, the founder of Zen Buddhism. Reversing the sacred and the profane in a kind of parody was a favorite motif during the Edo period¡Xin Edo slang, to 'pull out one¡¦s nose hair' implied a man enslaved by a woman. An especially popular theme was that of the Daruma and the prostitute, a play on the familiar subjects of Daruma¡¦s nine years of meditation facing a stone wall, which caused the loss of his arms and legs, and the prostitute¡¦s 10 years of trial-laden life at a brothel¡Xthe word 'daruma' was slang for a prostitute.