The inscription means, in essence, "Open your heart to Zen enlightenment, bloom in the here-and-now, and bear much fruit." This dynamic, Hakuin-style Daruma is extremely powerful and bold. It does not seem possible that it was brushed by a monk who had just turned eighty-eight.
Furukawa Taiko was long-time abbot of Myoshin-ji in Kyoto, head temple of one of the major schools of Rinzai Zen in Japan. He was a well-known Zen scholar and activist abbot, and was famous for suddenly appearing in calligraphy supply stores, demanding brush, ink, and paper. He would dash off a portrait of Daruma, and then leave it as a good luck charm for the store.
