Utagawa Kuninaga (歌川國長) (artist ca 1779 – 1827)
Representations of the Eight Legendary Chinese Wizards or Fūryū hachi sennin (風流八仙人)
10/1806
10.125 in x 14.875 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese woodblock print
Signed: Kuninaga ga (国長画)
Publisher: Izumiya Ichibei
(Marks 180 - seal not listed)
Censor's seal: kiwame
Date seal: 1806, 11th month
Royal Museums of Art and History, Belgium (via Cultural Japan) - left-hand panel only
The Chester Beatty Library
Lyon Collection - Kiyochika representation of Kinkō, the Taoist immortal, riding on a fish Illustrated in color in a three page foldout in Ukiyo-e Masterpieces in European Collections: Museo d'Arte Orientale, Genoa II, vol. 11, Kodansha, 1989, supervised by Muneshige Narazaki, #125.
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"This triptych depicts the eight famous Chinese hermits or wizards (Ba Xian) as contemporary beauties in various poses. These figures are, from left to right: Zhang Guo-lao depicted as a young courtesan in a long-sleeved kimono, shaking a horse out of a bottle gourd; Wang Zi-qiao, as a noble woman riding on a crane; Lu Dong-bin as a samurai's wife, calling forth a dragon out of a bowl in her hand; Qin Gao as a geisha riding on a carp; Li Tie-guai as a concubine, blowing out a small image of herself; the 'Toad' Wizard as a girl of the merchant class, playing a game using different hand shapes with a frog; Feng Gan as a courtesan, accompanied by a tiger; and Zhuang-zi, famous for his dream of a butterfly, as a wife of the merchant class."
Quoted from: English Supplement: Ukiyo-e Masterpieces in European Collections 11, Museo d'Arte Orientale, Genoa, II, Kodansha, n.d., p. 8, Pl. 125.
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The woman riding on the fish in the center panel represents Kinkō (Qingao 琴高) the Taoist immortal. The figure standing on the far left represents Chōkarō (Zhang Guo-lao 张果老). Zhang Guo-lao rode around China on a remarkable donkey that could be folded up like a piece of origami. Zhang often rode it backwards. He is often seen carrying a peacock feather and a peach, which is not evident here. He could also produce a magical horse which he carried in a gourd with him.
Izumiya Ichibei (和泉屋市兵衛) (publisher)
mitate-e (見立て絵) (genre)