Hotei

after 1704

Not on view

Hotei (Chinese: Budai) is one of the most beloved characters of Zen Buddhism and is believed to be an avatar of Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future. Potbellied with a shaven head, this cheerful, blissful monk is said to have roamed the countryside in the late ninth to early tenth century in the area of Mount Siming, in southern China, carrying his few belongings in a patched cloth bag.

Hotei was probably first portrayed in painting soon after his death and later entered the folklore of China and Japan as one of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune (Shichi fukujin). In his ink paintings of august East Asian mythological and historical personages, Ogata Kōrin often portrayed the seven gods in a more playful aspect, as seen here.

Artwork Details

Title: Hotei
Artist: Ogata Kōrin (Japanese, 1658–1716)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: after 1704
Culture: Japan
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink on paper
Dimensions: Image: 11 1/4 × 14 1/2 in. (28.5 × 36.8 cm)
Overall with mounting: 41 3/4 × 19 9/16 in. (106 × 49.7 cm)
Overall with knobs: 41 3/4 in. × 21 5/8 in. (106 × 54.9 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
Object Number: 2015.300.89
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

By Ogata Kōrin

In the same medium

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Coal container, Ogata Kōrin Japanese, Wood, metal, mother-of-pearl, lacquer, Japan — Coal container
Ogata Kōrin
18th century

Inrō with Rinpa Style Kanzan and Jittoku

, Ogata Kōrin Japanese, Three cases; lacquered wood with mother-of-pearl and pewter inlay on gold lacquer ground; Pouch: printed cotton with sarasa pattern; Ojime: metal bead, Japan — Inrō with Rinpa Style Kanzan and Jittoku
Ogata Kōrin
first half of the 19th century

Design of Morning–glory and Other Flowers, Ogata Kōrin Japanese, Woodblock print (album leaf); ink and color on paper, Japan — Design of Morning–glory and Other Flowers
Ogata Kōrin

Incense Box with Flowering Plum Tree, Ogata Kōrin Japanese, Gold lacquer with gold hiramaki-e, black lacquer, and mother-of-pearl inlay, Japan — Incense Box with Flowering Plum Tree
Ogata Kōrin
19th century

Camellias, Ogata Kōrin Japanese, Hanging scroll; color on paper, Japan — Camellias
Ogata Kōrin

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