Taoist Priest (Gama and Tekkai)

Hara Zaichū, artist

1750–1837

Taoist Priest (Gama and Tekkai), late 1700s–early 1800s, Edo period (1600–1868)

Where object was made: Japan

Material/technique: silk; ink

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 94 x 31.7 cm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 37 x 12 1/2 in
Mount Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth): 68 x 17 in
Roller Dimensions (Width x Diameter): 18 1/4 x 1 in

Credit line: Museum purchase

Accession number: 1970.0112

Not on display

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Archive Label date unknown:
The figures in these two paintings, Gama and Tekkai, originate from the Taoist religious belief in the possibility of immortality. Two of a group called the "Eight Immortals," gama and Tekkai are the most commonly seen in painting. They are identifiable by their attributes: Gama carries a three-legged white frog on his back, and Tekkai generally holds an iron crutch while exhaling his spirit.

In the paintings inscription, Hara Zaichū writes, "Painting in the manner of the ancient hōgen by Zaichū." The hōgen (an honorary painting title) to which he refers is Kanō Motonobu (1476-1559).