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Suzuki Harunobu

An Inauspicious Day

c.1769
Color woodblock print; hashira-e
68.9 × 12.1 cm (27.1 × 4.8 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

This print shows the Wind God as a wild-haired, half-naked demon, his bag billowing above his head as he looks down from his platform in the clouds. He has caught sight of a young beauty out for a stroll and unleashed a sudden gust, scattering her roll of paper and sending the letter she’d been carrying up to his perch, where he now has it in hand. The wooden placard to the right of the Wind God announces the inauspicious days of the year, when an unwary or unlucky person who undertakes a task may encounter challenges like his mischief.

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