Okame and a Demon
Artist
Shibata Zeshin
(Japanese, 1807–1891)
Dateca. 1873-1891
GeographyJapan
MediumColor on silk
Dimensions41 3/8 x 16 in. (105.1 x 40.6 cm)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineGift of The James Edward and Mary Louise O'Brien Collection, 1978 (4673.1)
Object number4673.1
DescriptionZeshin covered the surface of the scroll with a flat bright red, except for the circle in which he placed Okame and the area which is covered by his depiction of the fleeing devil. The oni is yellow and brown, dressed in blue and green. The Okame, or Goddess of Mirth, shown as usual with puffed out cheeks, small smiling mouth and narrow forehead with two ornamental black dots, has fixed her hair simply and wears a black kimono with blue, green, brown and touches of gold, print (lined in red), and a blue obi. The painting appears to refer to the Oni Yarae ceremony (Setsubun festival, in which Okame, dressed as a common girl, cast dried beans at the oni or devils to scare them away for a year).
On View
Not on viewCollections
Kawanabe Kyōsai
