Artwork Page for Portrait of Ōzora Buzaemon

Details / Information for Portrait of Ōzora Buzaemon

Portrait of Ōzora Buzaemon

大空武左衛門像

1827

Watanabe Kazan 渡辺崋山

(Japanese, 1793–1841)
Culture
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Medium
hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Measurements
Image: 221.8 x 117.8 cm (87 5/16 x 46 3/8 in.); Overall: 256.8 x 131 cm (101 1/8 x 51 9/16 in.); with knobs: 256.8 x 140.5 cm (101 1/8 x 55 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1980.177
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

Watanabe Kazan was interested in Rangaku (Dutch Learning).

Description

Over seven feet tall, Ōzora Buzaemon became a tabloid sensation when he arrived in Edo (Tokyo) in 1827 . His handprints were cherished souvenirs, and his image was sold on woodblock prints. As inscriptions on the scroll detail, Watanabe Kazan met Buzaemon at the residence of a noted Confucian scholar. Using a camera obscura–type device—a tool that uses light to project an image onto a surface—he made this preliminary drawing for a painting. The portrayal depicts Buzaemon’s discomfort in being stared at.
A vertically long hanging scroll painting of a man with a medium-light skin tone, wearing traditional Japanese clothing and holding a closed fan in his right hand. His belt holds two swords and he looks slightly down in front of himself, to our left.

Portrait of Ōzora Buzaemon

1827

Watanabe Kazan

(Japanese, 1793–1841)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

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