Kitagawa Utamaro 喜多川歌麿

Cormorant and egret (U to sagi)

Maker

Kitagawa Utamaro 喜多川歌麿 (1754-1806, worked in Edo, Japan)
Tsutaya Jūzaburō 蔦屋重三郎 (1750 - 1797), publisher

Title

Cormorant and egret (U to sagi)
A myriad of birds compared with kyoka poems (Momo chidori kyoka awase )

Period

Edo Period

Year

ca. 1790

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink, color

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Japan; Place Made: Tokyo

Dimensions

Plate: 22.5 x 37.2 cm (8 7/8 x 14 5/8 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscription above.
[text and poems]
Kyoka (light verse) poems by Torai Sanna and Shikatsube no Magao

Signature: Kitagawa Utamaro

Seals: Artist's seal | within the album ~ Utamaro

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Object Number

38.003

Type

Exhibition History

The Art of the Book in Japan
Jun 02, 2006 – Sep 03, 2006

Label copy

A Myriad of Birds Compared with Kyoka Poems was a deluxe set of two albums of prints that included light verse (kyoka). These poems are by Torai Sanna and Shikatsube no Magao. The prefaces to the volumes make many plays on words in introducing a variety of spring and autumn birds paired with amusing poems to "soothe the spirit and enchant the ear."

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Kitagawa Utamaro 喜多川歌麿 (1754-1806, worked in Edo, Japan)
Tsutaya Jūzaburō 蔦屋重三郎 (1750 - 1797), publisher
Cormorant and egret (U to sagi); A myriad of birds compared with kyoka poems (Momo chidori kyoka awase ), ca. 1790
Polychrome wood block print
Plate: 22.5 x 37.2 cm (8 7/8 x 14 5/8 inches)
Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 38.003

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