Portrait of Oto-Gozen (Otafuku)
Artist
Shibata Zeshin
(Japanese, 1807–1891)
Dateca. 1873-1891
GeographyJapan
MediumColor on silk
Dimensions35 3/4 x 15 1/2 in. (90.8 x 39.4 cm)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineGift of The James Edward and Mary Louise O'Brien Collection, 1978 (4670.1)
Object number4670.1
DescriptionA smiling Oto-gozen (whose alternative names are Okame or Otafuku, “big breasts,” the latter applied to large, overweight women), gathers her sumptuous kimono and bows toward the viewer. Her undergarment is a tie-dyed black and white textile, the over robe lined in red has bold purple blossoms, and the obi is brocade of green, gold, blue and red.Zeshin did a number of these humorous mocking depictions, which are reminiscent of the banners with pictures of Oto-Gozen, popular among the Edo townsmen who carried them in the special Edo festival, Tori-no-ichi, held at Otori shrines in the Days of the Fowl in the 11th month of the year. Mounting: 3 different brocades, especially rich with gold.
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