The six gourds can be pronounced as “六瓢 mubyō” and are said to be familiar with “無病 mubyō (no illness)”, and have been taken up as a theme since ancient times, hoping for a disease-free life.

In this work, six gourds of various sizes in sumi ink by Ibaraki Shunzan are depicted at the top of the painting. It is interesting that gourds are often drawn in green, but they are tasteful even if drawn in black as in this work. Under the gourds, the zen word “Nichinichi kore kōjitsu” is written with a vigorous brush stroke. This zen word means that it is important to thank each day and think of that day as the best day, and the author’s thought that such a mindset leads to healthy longevity is included. The bold composition that makes use of the margins makes this work even tastier.