「七福春の暁筆」
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Waseda University
- Image courtesy of
- Waseda University
Description
The title 「七福春の暁筆」 translates approximately as 'Seven Fortunes: A Brush at Spring Dawn,' indicating this print belongs to a set depicting the Shichifukujin — the Seven Lucky Gods of Japanese popular religion. Each deity in the group carries specific attributes: Ebisu holds a fishing rod and sea bream, Daikokuten wears a travelling hat and carries a mallet, Benzaiten plays the biwa lute. Kyosai's treatment of this auspicious subject, issued for the New Year market when such imagery was in high demand, would blend his fluid, confident brushwork with the festive chromatic palette expected of shōgatsu prints. This sheet likely depicts one or two of the seven gods, with the overarching series title appearing in a cartouche at the upper register. The 'spring dawn brush' framing suggests an improvised, first-brush-of-the-year (kakizome) quality, signalling auspiciousness through the freshness of the mark-making.
More Prints by Kawanabe Kyosai
from the series One Hundred Pictures by Kyôsai (Kyôsai hyakuzu)
Woodblock print
Old Picture of the Rashômon Gate (Rashômon no ko zu), from the series Scenes of Famous Places along the Tôkaidô Road (Tôkaidô meisho fûkei), also known as the Processional Tôkaidô (Gyôretsu Tôkaidô), here called Tôkaidô meisho tsuzuki
Woodblock print
Tsukishimadera Temple in Hyôgo (Hyôgo Tsukishimadera), from the series Scenes of Famous Places along the Tôkaidô Road (Tôkaidô meisho fûkei), also known as the Processional Tôkaidô (Gyôretsu Tôkaidô), here called Tôkaidô meisho no uchi
Woodblock print
from the series One Hundred Pictures by Kyôsai (Kyôsai hyakuzu)
Woodblock print
Frequently Asked Questions
「七福春の暁筆」 was created by Kawanabe Kyosai (河鍋暁斎).