Title
The lucky tea kettle of Morin Temple (Morinji no bunbuku chagama), from the series New forms of thirty-six ghosts
1892
Artist
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Details
- Place where the work was made
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Japan
- Period
- Meiji period 1868 - 1912 → Japan
- Date
- 1892
- Media category
- Materials used
- woodblock print; ink and colour on paper
- Dimensions
- 36.0 x 25.0 cm
- Credit
- Purchased with funds provided by the Yasuko Myer Bequest 2018
- Location
- Not on display
- Accession number
- 582.2018.2
- Copyright
- Artist information
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Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
Works in the collection
- Share
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About
This is the story of a tanuki (raccoon-dog) that turned itself into a teakettle to thank a woodcutter who rescued him from a trap. The woodcutter sold the kettle to Morin Temple but it became so annoyed when it was used that it turned back into a tanuki and tried to escape. In one version of the story, the tanuki returned to the woodcutter and helped him make money as an entertainer by dancing and doing tricks. In another, the monks realised the kettle was special and it was awarded a life of comfort and ease. Here the tanuki is shown napping in the temple wearing a priest’s robe. The nearby kettle is a reminder of his past.
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Places
Where the work was made
Japan
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Exhibition history
Shown in 2 exhibitions
Japan Supernatural, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 02 Nov 2019–08 Mar 2020
Elemental, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 30 Jul 2022–2024