Seven Gods of Good Fortune and Chinese Children

Kano Chikanobu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In this screen, three of the seven gods of good fortune (Daikoku, Ebisu, and Hotei) and a group of Chinese children serve as visual references to wealth, prosperity, and abundance. Some of the children pull a flower cart (hana-guruma) laden with a bamboo basket overflowing with peonies (emblematic of riches and honor) and other flowers associated with good fortune. The figures display the artist’s awareness of Chinese traditions; in China the theme of One Hundred Boys was a popular and auspicious subject for painting, and in Japan the motif of karako (Tang-Dynasty Children) symbolized longevity and health for offspring. The elegant fusion of ink and colors and the tight spatial composition mark an accomplished Kano-studio product.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.