Gathering to Celebrate Old Age

In this work Tomioka Tessai (1837–1924), foremost among late Japanese literati painters, depicts a Shōshikai 尚歯会, a Gathering to Celebrate Old Age. Such gatherings see a senior figure invite elderly friends, often seven, to paint, recite poetry, play musical instruments, and drink wine outdoors. The members of Tessai’s gathering relax in a ravine, beneath towering peaks and crashing waterfalls. The men are divided into three groups in the foreground and middleground. At lower left, a younger male attendant can be seen preparing to serve the men wine. Nearby, three men have gathered around a fourth man who plays the zither. One of the men holds a wine cup and rests his elbow on a bundle of scrolls, suggestive of other pursuits. Another group of men and young helpers gather around a friend writing on a scroll with a brush. Three more figures above examine a scroll painting hung from a pole. The subject has its origins in Tang Dynasty China, where legend holds that the celebrated poet and statesman, Bai Juyi, held such a gathering in 845. The practice was introduced to Japan shortly thereafter, with the first recorded gathering organized in 877 by the government official Minabuchi no Toshina (808–877).