Kawanabe Kyosai, who flourished from the late Edo period to the Meiji era, studied under Utagawa Kuniyoshi and the Surugadai Kano school. He was a rare artist who voraciously absorbed a wide range of painting techniques, from ukiyo-e and classical Japanese painting to Chinese painting and Western methods. His subjects were remarkably diverse, and his exceptional skill and witty ideas continue to be admired today.
This work humorously depicts Daikokuten (the god of wealth), with Otafuku peeking out from his bag. Plum blossoms and the rising morning sun, heralding the arrival of spring, are also included, creating a lighthearted world of abundance, harmony, and auspiciousness filled with smiles. This bright and celebratory painting is a crystallization of Kyosai’s unique sensibility.