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Festival of Insects

after Motsurin Jōtō (Japanese, d. 1492)

c. 1615–1868

Medium: Hanging scroll; ink on paper
Classification: Painting
Dimensions: Image: 30.7 x 45 cm (12 1/16 x 17 11/16 in.); Overall: 122.5 x 55.9 cm (48 1/4 x 22 in.)
Culture: Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art, Japanese Art
Credit line: Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
Rights: Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it: Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed

About this work

This painting depicts humanlike figures with antennae engaged in a festival procession. They transport a gourd like a float, with two teams pulling ropes in front, and others maneuvering it with poles from behind. They are accompanied by flutes and drums, urged on by a dancer holding a fan and a branch. The inscription is attributed to the monk-painter Motsurin Jōtō (Bokusai), well known in Japan as a disciple of Ikkyū Sōjun and an accomplished portrait artist.