A Bow-Maker Item Number: 2723/10 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Vertically rectangular multicoloured print depicting a bow making workshop with walls lined with finished bows. Two men work on long bows inside the shop while one worker attempts to thread his bow while being advised by a well-dressed man sitting on the steps and watched by a passerby leaning on his staff.

History Of Use

Reproduction from a set of paintings called “Shokunin ezukushi” (職人絵尽/A Collection of Pictures of Artisans), which consists of 24 pieces, painted on screens, which are kept in the Kitain (喜多院; temple) at Kawagoe, in Saitama Prefecture. The paintings are attributed to Tosa Mitsuoki (土佐光起), who was appointed “Sakon-Shogen” early in the era of Genroku and made Chief of the Painting Bureau.