Jurojin, from the series "A Parody of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune (Mitate shichifukujin)"
c. 1828
Medium
Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono
Dimensions
21.8 × 19.8 cm (8 5/8 × 7 13/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
23428
Art Historical Context
Behold *Jurojin, from the series "A Par of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune (Mitate shifukujin)"*, a delightful color woodblock print by the artist Yashima Gakutei, created around 1828. This intimate shikishiban-format work (a square sheet measuring 21.8 × 19.8 cm) captures Jurojin, the wise deity of longevity from Japan's beloved Seven Gods of Good FortuneShichifukujin). Gakutei, an Osaka-based ukiyo-e master known for his refined surimono prints, infuses the scene with playful parody (*mitate*), reimagining the sacred figures in whimsical, contemporary guises—a clever twist popular in Edo-peri...
About the Artist
Yashima Gakutei · 1786–1868
Yashima Gakutei (c. 1786–1868), born in Osaka as the illegitimate son of a Tokugawa shogunate samurai named Hirata, adopted the name from his mother's subsequent marriage into the Yashima clan. Little is documented about his early years beyond these familial ties, but he pursued artistic training under the esteemed ukiyo-e masters Totoya Hokkei and Katsushika Hokusai, absorbing their precision in ...