Ch: Zhang Guolao. Also called Tongxuan (Jp: Tsūgen 通玄). One of the Daoist, eight immortals *hassen 八仙 known for the magic powers of his mule. Chō Karō is said to have ridden his white mule for thousands of miles in a single day. When resting, he would store the mule in a small gourd (or between two sheets of paper) and then flush it out with water sprayed from his mouth to retrieve it. Various stories relate Chō Karō's relationship with the Tang emperor Gensō 玄宗 (Ch: Xuanzong, 685-762). According to some, he steadfastly refused the emperor's invitations, while other sources claim that he served Gensō as a court magician entertaining the monarch with his magic mule.
In painting, he is depicted either flushing the mule from its resting place or playing with it. Well-known examples include those by Kano Takanobu 狩野孝信 (1571-1618; Seattle Museum of Art), Kano Mitsunobu 狩野光信 (1561/65-1608; Myōhōin 妙法院), as well as parody pictures *mitate-e 見立て絵 by the *ukiyo-e 浮世絵 artists Okumura Masanobu 奥村政信 (1686-1764; Art Institute of Chicago) and Kitagawa Utamaro 喜多川歌麿 (1753-1806).