Painting by Tōyo Unkoku
Inscription by Sōi Seigan
Early Edo period (17th century)
Donated by the Homma family
Tōyo Unkoku (1612–68) was an official painter for the Mōri family of the Hagi Domain and the third generation of the Unkoku School of painting. He became head of the Unkoku School in 1644 and purported himself to be the fifth-generation successor of Sesshu. He was appointed hōgen, the second highest priestly rank in Japanese Buddhism, and in 1655 he took part in painting room partitions for the Imperial Palace.
This painting depicts Fukurokuju, one of the Seven Lucky Gods in Japanese mythology, and is embellished on the left with an inscription by Sōi Seigan (1588–1661), the 170th head monk of Zen temple Daitoku-ji. Fukurokuju is a deity representing three blessings of good fortune: good fortune (福, “fuku”) for offspring, prosperity (禄, “roku”), and longevity (寿, “ju”).