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Lot Essay
published:
Azabu Museum of Art, ed., Azabu bijutsukan: Shuzohin zuroku (Azabu Museum of Art: Catalogue of the collection) (Tokyo: Azabu Museum of Art, 1986), pl. 2.
Kobayashi Tadashi, ed., Azabu bijutsu kogeikan (Azabu Museum of Arts and Crafts), vol. 6 of Nikuhitsu ukiyo-e taikan (Tokyo: Kodansha, 1995), pl. 1, detail pl. 1.
Rather than capitalizing on the emerging imagery of the "floating world," the artist of Seasonal Events takes us back into Japan's classical past. The theme of paintings of the activities of the twelve months (tsukinami zu), originating in the Heian period (794-1185), was quasi-religious in intent: when human activity was in harmony with the cyclical rhythms of nature, the gods smiled. Remnants of this belief continue today. Cherry blossom viewing, for example, is one of the sanctioned cyclical seasonal activities.
This unusual screen, which treats activities customarily carried out during the transition from the old to the new year, was once a set of small sliding doors. Even the bronze hikite (the handholds for sliding the panels in their original tracks) carry out the seasonal motif in the form of bags of gold, a traditional felicitatory design signalling the hope of a prosperous New Year. The far left panel represents a dog fight, a pastime with ancient roots. Native curly-tailed Akita dogs are about to be pitted against a hound that is clearly of foreign origin. Second from the left are two of the costumed mimes (wearing face scarves and outlandishly festooned hats) who call door to door to invoke a safe transition from the old year to the new. Additional New Year's motifs include children playing a paddle game called buriburi. The second panel from the right features an unusual sumo match between characters who resemble Hotei and Daikoku, two of the Seven Lucky Gods. The cult of the Lucky Gods flourished during the Muromachi period (1333-1573), and in the late 16th century they came to be depicted in the guise of sumo wrestlers. The far right panel shows the Third Month cockfight, a motif popular also in the early spring section of screens depicting Scenes In and Out of the Capital. A unique feature of this screen is the abundance of young boys in every scene. It has been suggested that they represent (from left) Chinese youths, commoner children, Indian boys, and young samurai. Sons, of course, are among the most treasured possessions of an East Asian household, so the inclusion of masculine offspring intensifies the message of blessing and bounty that these screens carry.
Azabu Museum of Art, ed., Azabu bijutsukan: Shuzohin zuroku (Azabu Museum of Art: Catalogue of the collection) (Tokyo: Azabu Museum of Art, 1986), pl. 2.
Kobayashi Tadashi, ed., Azabu bijutsu kogeikan (Azabu Museum of Arts and Crafts), vol. 6 of Nikuhitsu ukiyo-e taikan (Tokyo: Kodansha, 1995), pl. 1, detail pl. 1.
Rather than capitalizing on the emerging imagery of the "floating world," the artist of Seasonal Events takes us back into Japan's classical past. The theme of paintings of the activities of the twelve months (tsukinami zu), originating in the Heian period (794-1185), was quasi-religious in intent: when human activity was in harmony with the cyclical rhythms of nature, the gods smiled. Remnants of this belief continue today. Cherry blossom viewing, for example, is one of the sanctioned cyclical seasonal activities.
This unusual screen, which treats activities customarily carried out during the transition from the old to the new year, was once a set of small sliding doors. Even the bronze hikite (the handholds for sliding the panels in their original tracks) carry out the seasonal motif in the form of bags of gold, a traditional felicitatory design signalling the hope of a prosperous New Year. The far left panel represents a dog fight, a pastime with ancient roots. Native curly-tailed Akita dogs are about to be pitted against a hound that is clearly of foreign origin. Second from the left are two of the costumed mimes (wearing face scarves and outlandishly festooned hats) who call door to door to invoke a safe transition from the old year to the new. Additional New Year's motifs include children playing a paddle game called buriburi. The second panel from the right features an unusual sumo match between characters who resemble Hotei and Daikoku, two of the Seven Lucky Gods. The cult of the Lucky Gods flourished during the Muromachi period (1333-1573), and in the late 16th century they came to be depicted in the guise of sumo wrestlers. The far right panel shows the Third Month cockfight, a motif popular also in the early spring section of screens depicting Scenes In and Out of the Capital. A unique feature of this screen is the abundance of young boys in every scene. It has been suggested that they represent (from left) Chinese youths, commoner children, Indian boys, and young samurai. Sons, of course, are among the most treasured possessions of an East Asian household, so the inclusion of masculine offspring intensifies the message of blessing and bounty that these screens carry.