Ôtsu-e: Benkei with a Halberd (Naginata Benkei)
Japanese
Description
This painting depicts the legendary warrior-monk Benkei, known through Tales of the Heike as a loyal follower of the famous military commander Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159–1189).
This painting is an example of an Ōtsu-e, a type of folk painting originating just outside of Kyoto. Ōtsu-e were produced with cheap local materials and stencils were used to facilitate mass production, making them affordable even to the lower classes. Initially religious in content, Ōtsu-e proliferated in the late-sixteenth and early seventeenth century when Christianity was officially banned; they could be purchased easily and secretly hung in the home as proof of Buddhist piety. Adopting the Ōtsu-e format for the depiction of the folk hero Benkei suggests that he was revered in the same way as a deity.
Subject Matter:
This painting is an example of Otsu-e, a type of folk painting originating not far from Kyoto in the present-day Shiga Prefecture towns of Otsu, Oiwake, and Otani. Otsu-e were produced with cheap local materials and stencils were used to facilitate mass production, making them affordable even to the lower classes.
By the latter half of the seventeenth century, Otsu-e became more secular. This humorous painting among other Otsu-e had strong popular appeal, and made their way into the art and literature of famous Edo period figures. Otsu-e with iconography associated with beneficial powers would later function as amulets.
Physical Description:
This painting portrays Saito Musashibo Benkei holding a halberd. Benkei was a Japanese warrior monk, a popular subject of Japanese folklore. Here the painting is accompanied by text, which became common on images with moralistic messages poking fun at society.
Usage Rights:
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