Artwork Page for Beggar (Kojiki)

Details / Information for Beggar (Kojiki)

Beggar (Kojiki)

1871

Hirafuku Suian 平福 穂庵

(Japanese, 1844–1890)
Culture
Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)
Medium
hanging scroll; ink on paper
Measurements
Overall: 215.3 x 93 cm (84 3/4 x 36 5/8 in.); Painting only: 141 x 70.8 cm (55 1/2 x 27 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1988.73
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

The Japanese term for beggar, kojiki, derives from the word kotsujiki, which refers to Buddhist monks taking bowls from door to door to request sustenance. The son of the artist Suian Bunrō, Suian Hirafuku was born in Kakunodate in Japan’s northern Akita prefecture. When he was 16, he went to study in Kyoto. In 1880 he took first place with another painting titled Beggar at the third Akita Prefectural Industrial Exposition, and in 1890, he took second prize for technical achievement with Nursing Tigress at the third National Industrial Exposition.
A hanging scroll depicts a barefoot man walking toward our right with wide eyes and an open mouth. He wears tattered robes rendered with expressive, dark ink washes and a simple head covering. The man grips a gnarled staff in his right hand and carries a shallow bowl near his left shoulder. Vertical calligraphy and a small red seal appear in the bottom left corner against the neutral paper.

Beggar (Kojiki)

1871

Hirafuku Suian

(Japanese, 1844–1890)
Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)

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