Mokuan was the second patriarch of the Japanese Obaku Zen sect, which still has its headquarters at Mampuku-ji, a Chinese-style temple located at Uji, near Kyoto. He emigrated to Japan from Fukien, China in 1655. The following year he assisted the first patriarch, Ingen (1592 - 1673) in founding Mampuku-ji, and Mokuan became the second abbot in 1664.

The six characters inscribed on this hanging scroll translate to "the first patriarch Daruma." This is a reference to the founder of Zen Buddhism in India, whose name is pronounced "Daruma" in Japanese. Mokuan may have also meant this phrase to serve as an homage to Ingen (as the first patriarch of the Obaku sect in Japan).

Mokuan was renowned during his lifetime for his outstanding calligraphy, with its strong, thick brushstrokes and subtle gradations of ink. As in this one line calligraphy, the even spacing and rounded characters have a powerful yet elegant effect, balanced by the wiry, angular signature at the left.