Daikokuten, from the series "The Seven Gods of Good Luck in Modern Life (Tosei Shichi Fukujin)"

Art Historical Context

Suzuki Harunobu's *Daikokuten, from the series "The Seven of Good Luck in Modern (Tosei Shichi Fukujin)"* (c. 1769) captures the playful spirit of Edo-period Japan through a vibrant color woodblock print. Harunobu, a master ukiyo-e—the "pictures of the floating world" genre—pioneered full-color nishiki-e prints in the 1760s, revolutionizing affordable art for everyday people. This chuban-sized print (28 20.4 cm) depicts Daikokuten, the jovial god of wealth and prosperity, reimagined in contemporary garb amid urban life, blending ancient mythology with 18th-century fashion and leisure. The *Shichi Fukujin* series humorously modernizes Japan's Seven Gods of Good Luck, popular deities invoked for fortune in commerce, harvests, and happiness. Daikokuten, typically shown with his magical mallet (uchide no kozuchi) and rice bales symbolizing abundance, here embodies the era's booming merchant culture in Tokyo (then Edo). Harunobu's innovative woodblock technique layered delicate colors from multiple carved blocks, achieving subtle gradients and glowing hues that brought divine figures to life with human warmth. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia collection, this print highlights ukiyo-e's cultural role in democratizing beauty and folklore, offering a snapshot of Japan's witty fusion of tradition and modernity. Visitors will delight in its charm, a testament to Harunobu's enduring influence on global printmaking.

About the Artist

Suzuki Harunobu · 1725–1770

Suzuki Harunobu (c. 1725-1770) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who revolutionized woodblock printing by developing nishiki-e—full-color prints using multiple woodblocks—in 1765. Before Harunobu, Japanese prints were limited to two or three colors; his innovation unleashed the entire artist's palette, transforming ukiyo-e into the vibrant art form that would later captivate Western artists from Manet...