Three Gods of Good Fortune Visit the Yoshiwara; or “Scenes of Pleasure at the Height of Spring”

early 19th century

Not on view

Chōbunsai Eishi, an artist of samurai descent who also created prints, illustrated several handscrolls showing patrons traveling to the pleasure quarters of Yoshiwara. In this and other versions, the artist added a twist by transforming some of the visitors into three of the Gods of Good Fortune—Ebisu, Daikoku, and Fukurokuju—and showing them revelling with courtesans in the bordellos. The inspiration for this theme seems to derive from a comic essay “Record of the Hidden Village” (“Kakurezato no ki”), written by Ōta Nanpo in 1781.

At the beginning of the scroll, in the section not shown, the Gods of Good Fortune travel by boat to the pleasure quarters in northeastern Edo (present-day Tokyo). They start at the foot of Yanagi Bridge, disembark at Sanyabori, walk along the Dike of Japan (Nihon Tsutsumi), and finally enter Yoshiwara.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

鳥文斎栄之筆　三幅神吉原通い図巻「全盛季春遊戯」
Title: Three Gods of Good Fortune Visit the Yoshiwara; or “Scenes of Pleasure at the Height of Spring”
Artist: Chōbunsai Eishi (Japanese, 1756–1829)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: early 19th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Handscroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions: Image: 13 1/8 in. × 29 ft. 2 9/16 in. (33.3 × 890.4 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
Object Number: 2015.300.145
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

By Chōbunsai Eishi

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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A Man and a Girl Walking in the Rice Fields, Chōbunsai Eishi Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — A Man and a Girl Walking in the Rice Fields
Chōbunsai Eishi
ca. 1780

A Girl with a Fan, Chōbunsai Eishi Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — A Girl with a Fan
Chōbunsai Eishi
ca. 1780

A Cherry-Viewing Excursion by a Noble Lady and Attendants, Chōbunsai Eishi Japanese, Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper, Japan — A Cherry-Viewing Excursion by a Noble Lady and Attendants
Chōbunsai Eishi
ca. 1797

Fuji no Uraha, Chōbunsai Eishi Japanese, Two sheets from a triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper, Japan — Fuji no Uraha
Chōbunsai Eishi
ca. 1790

The Yoshiwara Parade in Autumn, Chōbunsai Eishi Japanese, Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper, Japan — The Yoshiwara Parade in Autumn
Chōbunsai Eishi
ca. 1793

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