61 Kubota Beisen 1852 – 1906 Hotei with a Fan

Japan, 1901 (January 6, Meiji 34)

This highly expressive woodblock print was designed by the artist Kubota Beisen. It depicts the smiling Hotei, one of Japan's popular Seven Lucky Gods (Shichifukujin) and a symbol of contentment, happiness, and abundance. The deity is shown in his typical relaxed pose, leaning on his famous large sack of treasures and holding a traditional non-folding fan (uchiwa). The print is fascinating in its technical execution: Beisen brilliantly imitates the style of classical Zen ink painting (zenga). The expressive, dynamic, and varying brushstrokes (sumi-e) are translated into the woodblock with such mastery that the work initially appears to be an original ink painting rather than a print. According to the date in the upper right corner and the margin details on the left, the print was published in early 1901 by the prominent Tokyo publisher Akiyama Buemon.