Fukurokuju. Painted with ink and pigments on silk.
In Japan, Fukurokuju (from Japanese fuku, "happiness"; roku, "wealth"; and ju, "longevity") is one of the Seven Lucky Gods in Japanese mythology.

Signed Korin and sealed. It is attributed to Ogata Korin.

Ogata Kōrin (1658 – 1716) was a Japanese painter of the Rinpa school. Kōrin broke away from all tradition and developed a very original and distinctive style of his own, both in painting and in the decoration of lacquer. The characteristic of this is a bold impressionism, which is expressed in few and simple highly idealized forms, with an absolute disregard for naturalism and the usual conventions. An artist of the Rinpa school, he is particularly known for his gold-foil folding screens. A screen in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston depicting Matsushima is a particularly famous work, and his "Irises" in the Nezu Museum is a National Treasure of Japan.

In Chinese mythology, the mountain is often said to be the base for the Eight Immortals, or at least where they travel to have a banquet. Supposedly, everything on the mountain seems white, while its palaces are made from gold and platinum, and jewelry grows on trees.

There is no pain and no winter; there are rice bowls and wine glasses that never become empty no matter how much people eat or drink from them; and there are magical fruits growing in Penglai that can heal any disease, grant eternal youth, and even raise the dead.

The signature reads Tosanomori (the load of Tosa) Mitsusada. Mitsusada Fujiwara (1738-1806) also known as Mitsusada Tosa was born as the second son of Tosa Mitsuyoshi. In 1754 he was retained as a court painter. In the 1760 he painted fusuma (sliding doors) for the court, and in 1789, when the Kyoto Imperial Palace was remodelled, he again painted fusuma sliding doors. Mitsusada was a highly esteemed painter and is generally considered to have revived the Tosa school of painting.

The Fox Priest: The Fox who became a Priest:

Yoshitoshi

The traditional Japanese fable tells of an old fox who has grown tired of being hunted.
He disguises himself as an elderly priest named Hakuzosu, known for his love of foxes.
The fox visits a nephew of the priest who is a hunter and tells him of the many virtues of foxes, as well as of the punishments that come to men who take life. Satisfied that he has accomplished his mission, he leaves to return home. On the way, however,
he begins to turn back to his true form and loses the capacities of foresight and reason. A baited trap before him is an irresistible temptation and he is caught. Yoshitoshi shows the disguised priest walking among tangled weeds in the moonlight. As he glances over his shoulder,
we are made aware of his true nature by the change which has already occurred in his face...The fable may be: People may not be what you think they are, but always look on the other side of every story
***
La fábula tradicional japonesa habla de un viejo zorro que se ha cansado de ser cazado.
Se disfraza como un anciano sacerdote llamado Hakuzosu, conocido por su amor a los zorros.
El zorro visita a un sobrino del cura que es un cazador y le habla de las muchas virtudes de los zorros, así como de los castigos que vienen a los hombres que toman sus vidas. Satisfecho de que ha cumplido su misión, se vuelve a casa. En el camino, sin embargo, comienza a girar de nuevo a su forma verdadera y pierde la capacidad de previsión y la razón. Una trampa cebada delante de él es una tentación irresistible y es atrapado. Yoshitoshi muestra al cura disfrazado caminando entre las malas hierbas enredadas en la luz de la luna. Mientras se mira por encima del hombro, somos conscientes de su verdadera naturaleza por el cambio que ya ha ocurrido en su cara ... La fábula puede ser: La gente puede no ser lo que usted piensa que son, pero siempre se ven en el otro lado de cada historia

Taniguchi Kokyo (1864-1915)

woodblock print by Taniguchi Kokyo (1864-1915), dated 1925; from my collection. Oban tate-e (27.0 x 42.5 cm).

“Sagi Musume no Sei,” the “Spirit of the Heron Maiden.” A kabuki hengemono dance (one actor/many roles) wherein the spirit of a heron changes into a girl and then back again.

A summary from www.kabuki21.com/sagi_musume.php :

“The set is a frozen pond in the middle of Winter. The music from the geza is the classic sound effect for falling snow. The spirit of the heron appears on a platform, dressed in white, solitary and silent. This dance is a series of transformations, done through costume changes using either the bukkaeri or the hikinuki techniques to switch the roles. The first change turns the dancer into a young maiden in love, dressed in a beautiful red kimono, who dances the joy of love in a lively atmosphere. Her love is a short one and the next section of the dance is no more about happiness but sadness and jealousy. The dance is getting darker and the final change brings back the spirit of the heron, who frantically dances, depicting the torments of hell and pleading for pity. The highlight of this section is an ebizori pose. Then the heron maiden collapses on stage, bringing the dance to a close.”

Kokyo was the second son of Tsuji Kyuhiro, a cloth merchant, and was adopted by the Taniguchi family. He was a student of Kono Bairei, and was one of the founders of the Kyoto art school.

"Sagi Musume no Sei", el "Espíritu de la Garza Maiden." Un baile hengemono kabuki (un actor / muchos papeles) en el que el espíritu de una garza se transforma en una chica y luego de vuelta otra vez.

Un resumen de www.kabuki21.com/sagi_musume.php:

"El conjunto es un estanque congelado en el medio de invierno. La música de la geza es el efecto de sonido clásico para la caída de nieve. El espíritu de la garza aparece en una plataforma, vestida de blanco, solitario y silencioso. Esta danza es una serie de transformaciones, realizado a través de cambios de vestuario que utilizan técnicas bien la bukkaeri o la hikinuki para cambiar los roles. El primer cambio convierte a la bailarina en una joven doncella enamorada, vestida con un hermoso kimono rojo, que baila la alegría del amor en un ambiente animado. Su amor es corto y la siguiente sección de la danza no es más acerca de la felicidad sino quebranto y envidia. La danza es cada vez más oscura y el cambio final trae de vuelta el espíritu de la garza, que baila frenéticamente, que representa a los tormentos del infierno y pidiendo piedad. El punto culminante de esta sección es una pose ebizori. Entonces la doncella garza se derrumba en el escenario, con lo que el baile a su fin ".

Kokyo era el segundo hijo de Tsuji Kyuhiro, un comerciante de telas, y fue adoptado por la familia Taniguchi. Él era un estudiante de Kono Bairei, y fue uno de los fundadores de la escuela de arte de Kioto.

... ir por el camino correcto y construir una base de paz ...

Hay más de 500 esculturas de la Puerta Yomeimon del Santuario Toshougu en Nikko, algunos representan animales imaginarios, otros ilustran leyendas antiguas.

Quizás lo más interesante de ellas es el grupo de más de 20 esculturas titulada "Los niños y Ieyasu", representando a los niños que juegan. Buscando su significado, el grupo representa una representación artística de la voluntad del Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, su deseo de una sociedad pacífica en el futuro: "Ir por el camino correcto y construir una base de paz".

He aquí una de estas esculturas, titulada "Un niño trata de romper el muñeco de nieve. Otro niño empieza a llorar "...

feliz día del padre ! .....