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Unknown Maker, Japanese

Cormorants on a Boat and Pinks

Description

Maker

Unknown Maker, Japanese
Murataya Jirōbei 村田屋治郎兵衛 (Japanese, 1659 - 1844), publisher

Culture

Japanese

Title

Cormorants on a Boat and Pinks

Period

Edo Period

Year

1770s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink, color

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Japan; Place Made: Tokyo

Dimensions

26.5 x 19.5 cm (10 7/16 x 7 11/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscription Text/Poem: いをの骨
鵜のみにしてや
たてつらん
象牙にのとを
撫しこの花

Signature: unsigned

Seals: Illegible seal | lower right

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Object Number

34.544

Type

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Eating in Edo
Apr 01, 2023 – Oct 08, 2023

Label copy

Sweetfish were sometimes caught from rivers by cormorants. Working for the fishermen who trained them, these birds are leashed so that they will return to the boat with their catch. This traditional method of fishing, known as ukai, usually occurs at night, with the fishermen holding up torches to attract fish to the water’s surface.

Feathers, Flowers, Talons and Fangs
Power and Serenity in Japanese Nature Prints
Feb 02, 2007 – Jun 10, 2007
Nature Studies
Early Bird-and-Flower Prints from the Rockefeller Collection
Jun 07, 2002 – Sep 01, 2002

Label copy

The cormorant, which is a fishing bird, and the pinks (nadeshiko) are both identified in the poem so deftly inscribed in the cloud band that cuts the composition diagonally in half.

Use & Feedback

Image use

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

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Japanese
Murataya Jirōbei 村田屋治郎兵衛 (Japanese, 1659 - 1844), publisher
Cormorants on a Boat and Pinks, 1770s
Polychrome wood block print
26.5 x 19.5 cm (10 7/16 x 7 11/16 inches)
Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 34.544

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