This woodblock print from 1824 was commissioned by a kabuki actor to serve simultaneously as an elaborate New Year’s greeting, a gift, and an advertisement. The image invokes a well-known kabuki play, in which a male actor portrays a high-end courtesan (oiran), here in the guise of the goddess Benten with her trademark lute (biwa). She is joined by two characters from the Chinese zodiac, Monkey and White Rat, who display a schedule of upcoming kabuki plays in which the actor will perform. Benten gazes at a potted flower while surrounded by tufts of pine, plants associated with springtime. The two humorous poems (kyoka) above the image use wordplay to reference tidings of spring and Benten, the only female Japanese god of fortune.
Benten; by Totoya Hokkei; Japan, Edo period, 1780–1850; album leaf, color on paper; purchase; F1975.61rr