Yokoya Somin - Kozuka with Chokaro Summoning a Mule from a Gourd - Walters 51712 - Back

The gourd at the bottom of the composition frames the figures of the immortal Chokaro (Ch. Zhang Guo [Chang Kuo]) and a boy attendant. They are looking up towards the top of the gourd where Chokaro's magic mule is being released. The mule lived in the gourd until Chokaro needed it. It could carry Chokaro for thousands of miles and did not need to be fed. The artist signed the kozuka on the reverse in part of the gourd cartouche that wraps around to the back.