Sketch Copy of Natural Disasters, from the Seven Fortunes and Misfortunes
Unknown Artist
after 1773
Medium
handscroll; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
34 × 1714.5 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Japanese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1993.132
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This unmounted handscroll is a copy of the first of a three-scroll set painted by Maruyama Ōkyo (1733–1795) for Buddhist monk Yujō (1723–1773). It depicts people's unfortunate encounters with forces of nature from wind to beasts. Ōkyo's realistic, contemporary imagery was meant to evoke a sense of recognition and empathy in viewers, shocking them into avoidance of possible punishments.