Children's Wrestling Match with Hotei as Umpire, with poems by Ganzentei Unabara, Hōshōtei Mimiyori, Ki no Manao, Sanyodō and Kyōkadō (a/k/a Yomo no Magao) Edo period,

Editor: This is a print by Katsushika Hokusai, titled *Children's Wrestling Match with Hotei as Umpire*. It's hard to date precisely, but it's a charming scene. I’m intrigued by Hotei, the deity, acting as referee. What do you see in this scene, particularly in Hotei's presence? Curator: Hotei, the jolly god of contentment, is often a symbol of prosperity and ease. But here, his presence also evokes the cycle of life—children engaged in playful combat under the watchful eye of an immortal. Notice the plum blossoms, symbols of resilience, too. What memory do these symbols ignite for you? Editor: I hadn’t considered the plum blossoms in that way! It suggests a deeper connection to nature's rhythms, which are eternal, compared to our fleeting lives. Curator: Precisely. And the poems accompanying the image? They add another layer of interpretation, perhaps commenting on the scene’s playful yet profound nature. Editor: It's amazing how a single image can contain so many layers of meaning, spanning from the everyday to the symbolic. Curator: Indeed. The seemingly simple scene is a reminder that cultural memory persists through such images.