Fushimi figurine (Fushimi ningyo), figure of Hotei

Object Details

• Artist

  Fushimi Koemon

• Description

  Fushimi doll (Fushimi ningyo [Jap]) Hotei standing. Hollow.

  Clay: earthenware, shaped in mold.

  Glaze: flesh - reddish-buff and brown; remainder - dark browns and black. (soot deposits).

• Inscriptions

  Incised on the back of this figure is the name "Tofukuji Monzen Koemon [Jap]" The inscription is barely legible and, moreover, it appears to be incised through the soot that blackens much of the surface of the figure, so it may be spurious. However, that name links this figure to a pair of figures attributed to Koemon (F1903.222-223) as well as to a glazed ceramic "copy" of a Fushimi Otafuku doll (F1905.249). Ikaruga Koemon [Jap], according to oral tradition, moved to the village of Fukakusa, near Fushimi, after the battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and began the production of Fushimi votive dolls. Spurious inscriptions of his name appear frequently on old Fushimi dolls. In fact, earthenware was being made in the Fushimi area (for ritual use in the shrine) long before 1600, and the production of molded votive images would appear to be a natural offshoot of the older activity. Such images served as souvenirs (miyage [Jap], local products") for the pilgrims who thronged to the shrine on auspicious days. Fushimi dolls are mentioned in printed books of 1702 and 1730, making them perhaps the oldest documented images of this sort. They exerted an influence on the production of such images ("clay dolls," tsuchi ningyo [Jap]) throughout Japan.

• Provenance

  To 1899

  S. Eida, to 1899 [1]

  From 1899 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from S. Eida in 1899 [2]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Pottery List, L. 253, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Kyoto Ceramics (November 9, 1984 to April 25, 1985)

• Previous custodian or owner

  S. Eida (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Fushimi, Kyoto, Kyoto prefecture, Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Sculpture

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1900s, 1770s, 1780s, 1790s, 1730s, 1740s, 1750s, 1760s, 1800s, 1810s, 1820s, 1830s, 1610s, 1650s, 1640s, 1630s, 1620s, 1690s, 1840s, 1680s, 1850s, 1670s, 1860s, 1660s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Eida, S.

• Place

  Fushimi, Kyoto, Japan, Kyoto prefecture

• Topic

  Fushimi ware, Art, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, Pottery, Hotei

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Sculpture