Linggui (Spirit Turtle)

Neck stretched upward and head bent forward, this turtle is stomping firmly with its front legs. It is said that what look like fluttering hairs on the carapace may actually represent moss. Jakuchū has shown ample evidence in other works based on sketches, that he can painstakingly depict subjects in detail. To exercise his artistic interests, however, he also created many works that departed from strict representation of reality. Here, he has put large ears on a turtle, which are normally earless. He was probably mainly interested in practicing the sujime-gaki technique to render the lined patterns of the plates in the carapace.