120 - Shunzan: Hotei God on a Boat Catching Shojo Goblins with a Sake Cup

Shunzan: Hotei God on a Boat Catching Shojo Goblins with a Sake Cup

Hotei is one of the Shichi fukujin, "Seven Gods of Luck", a common motive in Japanese art. He carries a bag, Nunobukuro [布袋], which is never empty, and from which he feeds the needy. The origin of Hotei is a real person, the Chinese Buddhist monk Budaishi. He is considered an incarnation of Matreiya, or in Japanese: Miroku Bodhisattva. Budaishi died in 917 AD.

This print from the 1780s by Katsukawa Shunzan (active 1782-1798) shows Hotei God on a Boat Catching Shojo Goblins with a Sake Cup.

119 - Hasui: Saishô Temple in Hirosaki

Hasui: Saishô Temple in Hirosaki

This is a shin-hanga print by Kawase Hasui (1883-1957). It depicts a Saishô Temple in Hirosaki (Hirosaki, Saishô-in), and is taken from the series Collection of Scenic Views of Japan (Nihon fûkei shû higashi Nihon hen), 1936.

Hasui is one of the foremost shin-hanga artists. His speciality was landscapes and townscapes.

118 - Kuniyoshi: Fûten, the wind god.

Kuniyoshi: Fûten, the wind god.

This is Fûten (巽風), the wind god, manipulating his swirling bag accompanied by a storm-bird; a print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. The print is from 1837 or 1838, and is part of a series of illustrations to a book, "Shûeki hakke e" 周易八卦絵, Universal Divination by the Eight Trigrams. Only two prints from this series are known; it is unclear if Kuniyoshi ever completed it.

The eight trigrams are symbols of Chinese origin. They can be combined into 64 different hexagrams and are used for divination. It is extensively described in the ancient Chinese book "I Ching".

According to legend, the trigrams were found on the back of a tortoise - a discovery attributed to Chinese emperor Fu Hsi, in the 24th century BC.

117 - Yoshitsuya: Fight Between Yorimitsu & Hakamadare

Yoshitsuya: Fight Between Yorimitsu & Hakamadare

This is a print from 1858, by Utagawa Yoshitsuya. Its complete title is "Battle Between Minamoto no Yorimitsu and his men and Hakamadare Yasusuke, assisted by a giant snake”.

Minamoto no Yorimitsu (aka Raiko) was a legendary Samurai hero, and Hakamadare Yasusuke, a likewise legendary bandit chief.

Hakamadare turns up in two stories in Konjaku Monogatari, an ancient collection of tales. In this print, Yorimitsu tries to destroy Hakamadare's magic.

116 - Kosetsu: Two biljin walking in a Cherry orchard at dusk

Kosetsu: Two biljin walking in a Cherry orchard at dusk

This is a print by a less known artist, Miseuchi Kosetsu, active in the 1920s. The print is probably from 1924, It's a bijinga with two bijin looking at cherry blossoms (sakura).