Friday, October 26, 2007

"Nightingale in the Garden"

2 comments:

bs said...

Bodhidharma meditated in a cave for nine years, not speaking the whole time. His leg muscles atrophied and became useless. That is why Daruma dolls have no legs.

One time Bodhidharma fell asleep while meditating. In order to keep this from happening again he cut off his eyelids. This is why paintings of him have such piercing eyes. It also led to the tradition of painting in the eyes of Daruma dolls.

bs said...

Niwa no Uguisu (The Nightingale of the Garden) is brewed at a tiny firm known for putting great care into their brewing. This “Daruma” sake, of which there is also a daiginjo version, bears the image of the founder of Zen. Daruma is dry and narrow in flavor, clean but with a soft pull to the recesses. There is a slight essence of dried autumnal fruit to the fragrance and flavor, backed and delivered by a nice standing acidity. Although it may be hard to find at just any old liquor shop, Niwa no Uguisu Daruma is comparatively easy to find at good sake pubs.