Ippitsusai Bunchō (一筆斎文調); lived 1725-1794; flourished 1755–1790.

Size: Chuban; 26 x 20 cm

The design presents a young woman reading a scroll while arranging her hear, and a young man with a rowing rod watching over her shoulder; the pair is standing on a giant  shrimp that ferries them over a stream. The third passenger is a literate octopus, who’s is attentively exploring the text of a scroll. This allusion comes to mind promptly: “Bodhidharma crossing the Yangzi River on a  reed” (Royō Daruma).

Image from Asian Art Museum in San Francisco:

Masanobu’s mitate wittily evokes an episode known as “Bodhidharma crossing the Yangzi River on a  reed” (Royō Daruma). According to legend, the river crossing occurred en route to the Shaolin monastery, where Bodhidharma sat facing a wall for nine years without speaking. While serious interpretations abound in Chinese and Japanese paintings, popular prints of the Edo period often playfully substituted a beautiful woman for the monk. This parodic version was reportedly invented in response to a courtesan’s comment that she was more enlightened than Bodhidharma because she had spent ten years sitting, on display in a brothel.

An interesting article about this particular design is published at UKIYO-E.ORG BLOG. Though, the design is erroneously attributed to Harunobu.

We see that Bunchō was quite fascinated by the idea of crossing a water obstacle with the help of an unsuitable means of transportation:

Female Daruma Riding a Mushroom. MFA # 21.4758.