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In 1852, the Year of the Water Rat, on the 6th Day of the 11th Month, People Born in Fire Signs Enter a Lucky Cycle (Kaei go, mizunoe ne no toshi, jûichigatsu muika kasei no hito uke ni iru): Fukurokuju


「嘉永五壬子年 十一月六日火性の人うけに入」 福禄寿
Utagawa Yoshifuji (Japanese, 1828–1889)
Publisher: Tsujiokaya Bunsuke (Kinshôdô) (Japanese)
Japanese
Edo period
1852 (Kaei 5), 5th month

Medium/Technique Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions Vertical ôban; 37 × 24.8 cm (14 9/16 × 9 3/4 in.)
Credit Line William Sturgis Bigelow Collection
Accession Number11.37334
NOT ON VIEW
ClassificationsPrints

Catalogue Raisonné Ôta Mem. Mus., Warau ukiyo-e (2013), #170; Inagaki, Edo no asobi-e (1988), #29
DescriptionThe figure is made up of objects that start with the syllable fu: writing brush (fude), letter (fumi), flute (fue), bag (fukuro), blowfish (fugu), etc.
According to yin-yang divination (onmyôdô), luck followed a cycle of seven good years and then five bad years, according to one's year of birth. The ages of people in the lucky category are listed.
Signed Ippôsai Yoshifuji ga
一鵬斎芳藤画
Marks Censors' seals: (illegible), Rat 5
No blockcutter's mark
改印:浜、馬込、子五
彫師:なし
ProvenanceBy 1911, purchased by William Sturgis Bigelow (b. 1850–d. 1926), Boston [see note 1]; 1911, gift of Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: January 19, 2005)

NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates.