Original Perspective Picture of the Fashionable Seven Gods of Good Fortune (Furyu shichi fukujin uki-e kongen)
1740s
Medium
Hand-colored woodblock print; o-oban, beni-e
Dimensions
29.7 × 44.5 cm (11 3/4 × 17 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
19493
Art Historical Context
In the bustling world of 18th-century Edo (modern Tokyo), Okumura Masanobu's *Original Perspective Picture of theable Seven Gods of Good* (c. 1740s) captures the playful spirit of ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world." hand-colored woodblock print reimagines Japan's beloved Seven Lucky Gods—Ebisu, Daikoku, Bishamonten, Benzaiten, Fukurokuju, Jurojin, and Hotei—as stylish, contemporary figures amid a dynamic scene. Masanobu, a pioneering printmaker, infuses the composition with *fūryū* (elegant fashion), blending divine benevolence with urban flair to appeal to everyday viewers seeking ...
About the Artist
Okumura Masanobu · 1686–1764
Japanese, 1686–1764