Suzuki Harunobu 鈴木春信

The Kagura Month [11th month] (Kagurazuki)

Maker

Suzuki Harunobu 鈴木春信 (Japanese, 1724-1770)

Title

The Kagura Month [11th month] (Kagurazuki)
Customs of daily life with poem of the four seasons
Fuzoku shiki kasen

Period

Edo (Japanese period)

Year

ca. 1767

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink and color

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Japan

Dimensions

Image: 28.4 x 21.1 cm (11 3/16 x 8 5/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscribed number verso, bottom right:SB965[text and poems] Poem: Sugi tateru (translates to) To find the spot kado wa nakeredo (translates to)where branches of cedar are placed sato kagura/kore ya miyai no/hajime naruran(translates to)follow the sounds of kagura musicBranches of cedar were placed outside the gate to a shrine as love tokens. The tree in the print is not a cedar and does not relate to the poem. The scene depicts a family leaving a shrine on the occasion of their 7-year old daughter's becoming an obitake (obi-wearer), a symbol of maturation. "Miyai" in the poem means "shrine precincts" but also alludes to the initial steps parents take toward arranging a marriage for their child.

Label: This print is associated with the performance of the kagura dance, a Shinto celebration that falls in the eleventh month of the lunar calendar.

Signature: Suzuki Harunobu ga

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke

Object Number

20.1083

Type

Exhibition History

Samurai At Leisure
Nov 26, 2019 – May 24, 2020

Label copy

Here Harunobu ably captures a samurai’s casual family outing. The samurai carries his young daughter on his shoulder as he walks with his family into a shrine to view sacred dances. The young child affectionately places her hand on her father’s head while her mother carries the train of her sash behind them. During the Edo period, strict regulations governed samurai conduct and dress code. Even on a casual excursion, as depicted in this print, a samurai was required to carry his sword.

Edo Culture as Reflected in Japanese Woodblock Prints
Sep 22, 1994 – Dec 15, 1994
Women of the Floating World
Nov 09, 1990 – Jan 06, 1991

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

Suzuki Harunobu 鈴木春信 (Japanese, 1724-1770)
The Kagura Month [11th month] (Kagurazuki); Customs of daily life with poem of the four seasons; Fuzoku shiki kasen, ca. 1767
Polychrome wood block print with embossing
Image: 28.4 x 21.1 cm (11 3/16 x 8 5/16 inches)
Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke 20.1083

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