Shojo Lifting a Sake Keg
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1904.255
Tags
About this artwork
To 1904
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 19th-century Japanese art, Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) captures folklore with playful energy in *Shojo Lifting a S Keg*, created around the 1840s during Japan's Edo period (1615-1868). This painting depicts a mythical shōjō—a red-faced, long-haired spirit renowned in Japanese legends for its insatiable love of sake—hoisting a massive keg with effortless strength. Hokus, the master of ukiyo ("pictures of the floating world"), infuses the scene with his signature dynamic lines and exaggerated forms, evoking humor and whimsy amid everyday indulgences like rice wine. Sh...