karako asobi 唐子遊

Ch: tangzi you. A painting subject of Chinese children at play. The theme has two types: in the first children play with the pot-bellied eccentric Budai (Jp: *Hotei 布袋); in the second they frolic in a court garden. The children typically play games such as hide-and-seek or tag, but sometimes are depicted in adult activities such as the four accomplishments *kinkishoga 琴棋書画. In China, the subject was a favorite of Song Academy painters. In Japan, the theme often was rendered by Kano school *Kano-ha 狩野派 artists. Later, it was parodied by *ukiyo-e 浮世絵 artists, notably Suzuki Harunobu 鈴木春信 (1725-70) and Torii Kiyonaga 鳥居清長 (1752-1815).The subject is also used for ceramic and lacquer designs.