Ôtsu-e: Benkei with a Halberd (Naginata Benkei) / Japan, Signature and/or Seal Unread
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1964/2.101
- Title
- Ôtsu-e: Benkei with a Halberd (Naginata Benkei)
- Artist Nationality
- Japanese
- Medium and Support
- hanging scroll, ink and color on paper
- Object Creation Date
- 18th century
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- Japan (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Japan (nation)
- Style/Group/Movement
- Ôtsu-e
- Inscription
- Inscription: At top and bottom; Seals: 1 before inscription at top, 2 follow inscription at bottom.
- Dimensions
- 60.96 cm x 22.86 cm (24 in. x 9 in.)
- Century
- 18th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Painting
- Primary Object Type
- hanging scroll
- Secondary Object Classification
- Painting
- Secondary Object Type
- figure painting
- Physical Description
- This painting portrays Saito Musashibo Benkei holding a halberd. Benkei was a Japanese warrior monk, a popular subject of Japanese folklore. Here the painting is accompanied by text, which became common on images with moralistic messages poking fun at society.
- Subject Matter
- This painting is an example of Otsu-e, a type of folk painting originating not far from Kyoto in the present-day Shiga Prefecture towns of Otsu, Oiwake, and Otani. Otsu-e were produced with cheap local materials and stencils were used to facilitate mass production, making them affordable even to the lower classes.
- By the latter half of the seventeenth century, Otsu-e became more secular. This humorous painting among other Otsu-e had strong popular appeal, and made their way into the art and literature of famous Edo period figures. Otsu-e with iconography associated with beneficial powers would later function as amulets.
- Secondary Keywords
- art genres
- artistic concepts
- associated concepts
- concepts in the arts
- descriptors
- image-making processes and techniques
- objects we use
- people and culture
- processes and techniques
- processes and techniques by specific type
- visual works
- visual works by subject type
- weapons and ammunition
- writing (processes)
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 455 x 1489
- File Size
- 85 KB
- Record
- 1964/2.101
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1964-sl-2.101/1964_2.101.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1964-SL-2.101:1964_2.101.JPG
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- Full citation
-
"Ôtsu-e: Benkei with a Halberd (Naginata Benkei); Japan, Signature and/or Seal Unread." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1964-sl-2.101/1964_2.101.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 25, 2024.
