EBISU ON HORSEBACK
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Doi Sadaichi
- Edition:
- Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Harvard Art Museums
Description
Ebisu, the god of fishermen and commerce, appears here in an unusual martial configuration — mounted on horseback rather than his traditional pose holding a sea bream and fishing rod. Koitsu rarely depicted mythological subjects, making this print an anomaly in his catalog, likely produced for a specific commercial commission or calendar purpose. The equestrian format gives Ebisu an imperial dignity at odds with his usual cheerful, rotund portrayal, suggesting this may commemorate a specific festival or shrine tradition.
More Prints by Tsuchiya Koitsu
More Religious Prints
The Great Buddha, Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu)
Kamakura Daibutsu
1930
Color woodblock print
Hall of the Great Buddha (Nara Daibutsuden)
1950
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Great Buddha
大仏
Woodblock print
Clearing after a Snowfall at the Kannon Temple in Asakusa (Asakusa Kannon no yukibare), from the series "Twenty Views of Tokyo (Tokyo nijukkei)"
1926
Color woodblock print; oban
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
EBISU ON HORSEBACK was created by Tsuchiya Koitsu (土屋光逸).
EBISU ON HORSEBACK was published by Doi Sadaichi.
EBISU ON HORSEBACK depicts religious, mythology, and animals.