Man with deer, flying crane

The god of longevity known in Japan as Jurōjin is derived from the Chinese Daoist astral deity associated with the star Alpha Carinae, the second brightest star in the night sky and the brightest member of the southern constellation Carina. In this picture, Jurōjin, sitting beneath a pine tree and grove of bamboo next to a white deer and long-tailed tortoise (minogame), reacts to a crane flying above. All these motifs are associated with immortality and the realms of immortals.

Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Overall (incl. mounting, endknobs, hanging braid): 68 7/8 × 22 1/2 in. (175 × 57.2 cm)

Image: 35 1/8 × 16 1/16 in. (89.2 × 40.8 cm)

Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection

35.606

Photo: Spike Mafford

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Deities & Demons: Supernatural in Japanese Art, October 20, 2022 – May 18, 2025 (on view December 7, 2024 – May 18, 2025).

Published ReferencesFuller, Richard E., Japanese Art in the Seattle Art Museum: An Historical Sketch, Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1960 ("Presented in commemoration of the Hundredth Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and the United States of America"), no. 71

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