Maker
After Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (1797–1858, b. in Edo, Japan)
Kawaguchiya Shōzō 川口屋正蔵 (ca. 1824-1852), publisher
Title
Cuckoo in Rain (Uchu no hototogisu)
Period
Year
Medium
Materials/Techniques
-
Techniques
Materials
ink, colorSupports
Geography
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Place Made: Japan; Place Made: Tokyo
Dimensions
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Image: 34.1 x 12.7 cm (13 7/16 x 5 inches)
Signature / Inscription / Marks
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Inscription Text/Poem
Translation: Two voices crossing high over, A cuckoo and rain
(trans. Marks in Bogel)Marks mentions that the cuckoo is known for its voice and its ability to avoid bad weather (except in this design). He speculates that the open beak of the bird may indicate he is squawking about this fact.
A twofold cry can be heard over five hundred capes, the cuckoo
A different interpretation alludes to the range of the cuckoo's cry: The cuckoo's cry reaches more than two provinces beyond or reaching farther than two provinces. Forrer makes this allusion and corrects the transliteration in Bogel
*Hototogisu is a seasonal word for summer and its song a symbol of unrequited love.
Signature: Hiroshige hitsu
Seals: Publisher's seal | Shoeido; censor's seal | kiwame
Marks: Verso, bottom right in pencil: EGR321[text and poems]
Identification
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Edition
Edition: The Bogel entry remarks that the print shows edges of the second print originally printed on the same ?ban sheet; Forrer states that the other print is Owl and Pine in Moonlight (34.220) in the collection. Credit / Object Number
-
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke
Object Number
20.1244 Type
Related Objects
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
Kawaguchiya Shōzō 川口屋正蔵 (ca. 1824-1852), publisher
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