A Kinchaku with a Piece Silk Image: Lucky God Ebisu

late nineteenth, early twentieth century
7 1/2" x 9 1/2" x 9 1/2", 19 cm x 24 cm x 24 cm

This delightful drawstring pouch or kinchaku shows a particularly well-executed pieced silk image on the bottom part of the bag which also shows a good deal of intricately hand painted details which are highlighted on the accompanying photographs.

Note the pieces of silk which are padded and expertly stitched together to create the charming scene we see here. Much skill, time, thought and planning went into the construction of this cloth picture.

The image is that of one of Japan's popular seven lucky gods, Ebisu. We see him depicted here as he usually is with his fishing rod and proudly displaying a large, red sea bream or red snapper whose name in Japanese is a partial homophone to a word conveying a celebratory, joyous wish.

The background of the image is chirimen or crepe silk dyed a deep blue tone. There are some small areas of loss to the silk of the picture, barely noticeable when the image is viewed from a normal distance.

These type of kinchaku are generally charming and this one is no exception: it is enhanced by the good amount of hand painted details and for the nice brocade silk and the braided tie which seems original to the bag.

Wonderful.