Description
Interesting diptych of woodblock printed illustrations taken from vol. 10 (十編) of the famous Hokusai Manga (北斎漫画) and depicting ten xian (仙人) “immortals”. In the right panel, from right to left and top to bottom, the sorcerer Meisoki (明崇儼), the venerable Roshi (老子), the philosopher and poet Choyoshi (重陽子), the long-lived Soso (彭祖), Shachusho (謝仲初) crossing the waters on a branch and Roko (盧敖) on the back of a sacred turtle.
In the left panel, Rashiho (羅子房) sailing through the clouds, the master Ogei (王倪), the sage Teishien (鄭思遠) with his sleeping tiger and the crown prince Hyocho (馮長).
The prints on Japanese washi paper (和紙), originally produced in 1819, are presented here in an edition dating back to the mid or second half of the 19th century and, despite the signs of aging including wormholes, are in overall fair conditions.
