Object Details
Artist
Konishi Kosui (born 1856)
Label
Each of the cheerful women in this picture is engaged in an everyday task or leisure activity, such as the preparation of food or the performance of music and dance. Their plump figures and faces, most of which have exaggerated foreheads, resemble the Japanese popular deity of prosperity and mirth known variously as Uzume, Otafuku, or Okame. The name Uzume is abbreviated from Ame no Uzume no Mikoto who is said to have been the deity who performed a dance to lure the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami out of her cave. Masks shaped with her distinctive features were used for comic dances.
The theme of this picture was inspired by a literal reading of the name Otafuku, meaning "many fortunes," or "abundant luck." Here the artist multiplies the images of the happy and fortunate goddess one hundred times to create a highly entertaining scene full of activity and humor.
Provenance
To 1975
David Newman, London
From 1975
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from David Newman in 1975
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History
Life and Leisure: Everyday Life in Japanese Art (August 14, 2004 to February 20, 2005)
Japanese Art of the Meiji Era (September 20, 1997 to April 26, 1998)
Previous custodian or owner
David Newman
Credit Line
Purchase — funds provided by the bequest of Edith Ehrman
Date
late 19th century
Period
Meiji era
Accession Number
F1976.42
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Painting
Medium
Ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H x W (image): 60 x 104.8 cm (23 5/8 x 41 1/4 in)
Origin
Japan
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
Meiji era (1868 - 1912)
drum
koto
work
shamisen
Japan
kakemono
Japanese Art
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_F1976.42