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The Seven Gods of Good Fortune in the Treasure Boat


七福神宝船
Utagawa Hiroshige I (Japanese, 1797–1858)
Publisher: Sanoya Kihei (Kikakudô) (Japanese)
Japanese
Edo period
1843–47 (Tenpô 14–Kôka 4)

Medium/Technique Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions Vertical ôban, upright diptych; 72.3 x 24.4 cm (28 7/16 x 9 5/8 in.)
Credit Line Denman Waldo Ross Collection, by exchange
Accession Number46.219
NOT ON VIEW
ClassificationsPrints




The Seven Gods of Good Fortune, a mix of Buddhist, Taoist, and local Japanese deities, had been worshipped individually for many centuries before people began to treat them as a group in the early seventeenth century. A picture showing all seven gods riding together in a boat filled with treasures was especially good luck as a New Year decoration.

Catalogue Raisonné Shibuya Kuritsu Shôtô Bijutsukan, Ukiyoeshitachi no shinbutsu (1999), #142
Signed Hiroshige ga
広重画
Marks Censor's seal: Tanaka
No blockcutter'a mark
改印:田中
彫師:なし
ProvenanceRoss Collection by exchange