Jurojin with crane and tortoise
18th century
Medium
Woodblock print; hashira-e, sumizuri-e
Dimensions
69.6 × 12.1 cm (27 3/8 × 4 3/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
44359
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) mea...
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...