The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Sketch of Ibaraki-dōji

Sketch of Ibaraki-dōji

c. 1840
(Japanese, 1807–1891)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
hanging scroll, ink on paper
Overall: 214.6 x 195.5 cm (84 1/2 x 76 15/16 in.); Mounted: 205.2 x 185.2 cm (80 13/16 x 72 15/16 in.); Painting only: 161 x 172.2 cm (63 3/8 x 67 13/16 in.)
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1990.6
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The demon Ibaraki, having disguised itself as the aunt of warrior Minamoto no Yorimitsu to gain access to its severed limb, is shown is in the midst of transforming back into demon form.

Description

Even before the arrival of US ships demanding trade, Japan’s military government was experiencing economic challenges. This preparatory drawing is for a wooden plaque to be offered to a shrine, beseeching divine intervention in business affairs. Commissioned by a wholesalers’ union, it shows the demon Ibaraki-dōji reclaiming his arm from a warrior who, according to legend, had cut it off. The repossession of the arm is a metaphor for the union’s desire for the restoration of rights to sell sugar, which had been rescinded by the government as part of a misguided effort to stabilize the economy.
  • Cunningham, Michael R. "Notable Acquisitions." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 78, no. 3 (1991): 63-147. Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 147 www.jstor.org
    Cunningham, Michael R. Unfolding Beauty: Japanese Screens from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2001. Mentioned: p. 86
    Grossman, Nancy, James T. Ulak, Marjorie Williams, and Laurence Channing. Art of Japan: Masterpieces from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2005. p. 111
  • Modern Japan (Japanese art rotation) 235. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 14, 2022-June 18, 2023).
    Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 236). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 21, 2014- January 13, 2015).
    Unfolding Beauty: Japanese Screens from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 15-August 12, 2001) (1st of 2 rotations).
    Unfolding Beauty: Japanese Screens from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 15-September 16, 2001).
    Notable Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 15, 1991).
  • {{cite web|title=Sketch of Ibaraki-dōji|url=false|author=Shibata Zeshin|year=c. 1840|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1990.6