Daisō

The painting shows a bust-length figure of a bald, elderly man with a heavily lined face, prominent nose, and distinct, bulging eyes with reddish, watery sclera. He is dressed in the simple, flowing robes of a monk and holds a staff, partially visible at the bottom. The line work is minimal and fluid, focusing on the expressive, somewhat grotesque character of the face against a neutral, aged paper background.

Daisō is often identified in Japanese folk tradition and Buddhist iconography as a figure associated with the eccentric or 'mad' monk archetype, often linked to the 'Bakemono no e' (depictions of monsters/supernatural beings) tradition where religious figures were sometimes rendered with supernatural or strange physical traits.