Jurojin with crane and tortoise

Art Historical Context

In the vibrant world of 18th-century Japanese uki-e prints, Nishimura Shigenaga captures enduring symbols of longevity in *Jurojin with Crane and Tortoise*. Jurojin, one of the beloved Seven Lucky Gods (Shifukujin), is depicted as a wise, elongated figure cradling a crane—emblem of long life—and by a tortoise, another icon of endurance and stability. These motifs drew from folklore and Shinto-Buddhist traditions, auspicious wishes for health and prosperity to everyday viewers in Edo-period Japan. This woodblock print exemplifies the hashira-e format, a tall, narrow design (69.6 × 12.1 cm) meant to hang gracefully on house pillars, blending art with domestic life. Crafted as a sumizuri-e, or monochrome ink print, it showcases Shigenaga's mastery of subtle shading and line work before the explosion of full-color nishiki-e prints. Produced through meticulous carving and printing on mulberry paper, such early techniques highlighted the printer's skill in evoking depth and texture with just black ink. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia collection, this work reflects ukiyo-e's role in democratizing art, making divine blessings accessible to all. Shigenaga, a pupil of Okumura Masanobu, bridged traditional motifs with innovative formats, enriching Japan's floating world of prints.

About the Artist

Nishimura Shigenaga · 1690–1758

Nishimura Shigenaga (c. 1697–1756) was a pioneering Japanese ukiyo-e printmaker born in Edo (modern-day Tokyo), where he initially worked as a landlord in the Tōriabura-chō district before relocating to Kanda-Sakumachō to operate a bookshop. Self-taught with no known formal teacher, he immersed himself in art around 1719, drawing early inspiration from the Torii school's yakusha-e (actor portraits...