Yamaguchi Sekkei ”Parody of Eguchi no kimi”

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IItem No.
Title	”Parody of Eguchi no kimi”
Overall size
Artwork size
Artist	Yamaguchi Sekkei(1644-1732)
Date Created	late 17th~early 18th century
Price	Contuct us.

Zhang Kuo-lao was a legendary Chinese hermit.
It is said that he rode a white ass thousands of miles every day, and when he rested, he would fold the ass like paper and store it in a gourd, then spray it with water to restore it to its original size and ride away on its back.
Now, the prostitute on the white elephant emerges from Zhangguaro’s gourd in this work!
The expression on Zhang Kuo Lao’s face is humorous, as he looks up to the heavens with wide-open eyes, as if to say, “What a surprise!”.

The white elephant and the prostitute remind me of Eguchi no kimi in Kan’ami’s song “Eguchi”.
The story of “Eguchi” is that the ghost of Eguchi no kimi, a prostitute who exchanged songs with Saigyo, a traveling ascetic monk, transformed into Fugen Bosatsu (Samantabhadra) and disappeared into the western sky on a white cloud.
Based on this story, many paintings depicting Eguchi no kimi as riding on a white elephant have been produced since the Edo period (1603-1868).
In other words, the prostitute depicted in this work is a combination of two images: the white ass that supported the journey of Zhangguo Lao and Fugen Bosatsu riding on a white elephant.
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Yamaguchi Sekei (1644-1732) was a painter active in Kyoto during the Edo period. He was devoted to Muromachi ink painting, and the name “Sekkei” comes from Sesshu and Mokkei, two of the leading ink painting masters of Japan and China.
He learned from the Kano and Hasegawa schools, but also incorporated the techniques of Chinese painting to create his own unique style of painting.

As an antique, it may have some scratches or blemishes. We recommend that you visit our store to check the condition.
If you wish, we will send you detailed photos of the item, so please feel free to contact us.