Fukada Gojo “Boys’ May Festival Doll”

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IItem No.
Title	“Boys' May Festival Doll”
Overall size
Artwork size
Artist	Fukada Gojo (date of birth and death unknown)
Date Created	Showa period (1926-1989)
Price	￥450,000（excluding tax）

　It depicts an armored helmet in an eye-catching bright red color. This is a gorgeous and beautiful Boys’ May Festival doll.

　In the center of the helmet is a dragon staring fiercely at you. The armor helmet is meant to protect the body of a boy.
　The meticulous attention to detail and careful coloring is one of the highlights of this work. The large sleeves covering the shoulders and the kusazuri protecting the body from the waist down are painted with red dots, which are not only fine, but all the grains are aligned and straight in a row. This kind of expression shows the seriousness of the artist’s temperament.

　Furthermore, the most remarkable feature of this work is that the cover is all painted. The upper part depicts wisteria, which is believed to ward off evil, and the lower part depicts irises, which are a familiar sight during the Boys’ Festival.
　Both plants are so accurately depicted that they could be mistaken for the real thing. The white petals of the iris are covered with a thin layer of gohun so that the base of the iris can be seen through, thus expressing its freshness. The accurate and uncomplicated depiction suggests the artist’s mastery of the Shijo School’s realistic painting method. In the ichimonji area, a dragonfly, a victorious insect, is depicted.

　Overall, this work is very colorful, indicating the use of expensive painting materials. In particular, lame-like grains can be seen on the painted surface, and they sparkle depending on the amount of light that hits them.
　It is a gorgeous and festive work, perfect for Boys’ Festival.

　Fukada Gojo (date of birth and death unknown) was an Osaka painter active mainly during the Showa period. His father, Fukada Naoshiro (1861-1947), was also a painter, who studied the Shijo School before moving to Osaka to pursue his painting career. Gojo learned the Shijo school of painting from his father Naoshiro, a talented artist who served as a judge for the Bunten Exhibition and as a member of the Osaka Painting Education General Affairs Committee.

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.