Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重

The text inscription on the upper right of the fan remarks on the alternate name of the chrysanthemum, okinagusa (old man plant). This name is associated with the legend of Kikujido (the Chrysanthemum Boy), a Chinese boy exiled from the imperial court, sipped the dew of a valley filled with chrysanthemums and lived for seven hundred years. The inscription also mentions the famed Chinese poet Tao Qian (365-427) whose name closely associated with chrysanthemums. In Tao’s poem on “Drinking Wine,” there is a famous line about plucking chrysanthemums from the eastern hedge.

The imagery of both these fans (34.332 and 34.305) alludes to the story of Kikujido (also known as Judo), who is depicted in the cartouche on the upper of the prints. According to Chinese legend, Kikujido offended the Emperor Muwang (ca. 985-ca. 907 BC). Before the emperor sent the culprit into exile, Muwang instructed him in a chant that would protect him and give him long life. The young man found his way to a valley where chrysanthemums grew prolifically and passed his time painting the chant on their petals; thus, he is associated with longevity. The lower print cites an alternate name for the chrysanthemum, okinagusa ("old man plant"), making the connection to the legend of Kikujido¯. The subject matter also makes a seasonal reference to autumn, the time when chrysanthemums bloom.

The inscription explains that the chrysanthemum is also called the Old Man Plant (okinagusa) because of its association with Kikujido (The Boy Who Loved Chrysanthemums), a Chinese youth who, exiled from the Imperial court, found refuge in a remote valley filled with chrysanthemums. He drank their dew and lived for seven hundred years, according to the myth.

This print is from a series that matches types of flowers with auspicious wishes for “happiness, official salary, and long life.” The fan print to the right clarifies the association between chrysanthemums and auspicious wishes for longevity.