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Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重

Mandarin ducks (Oshidori)

Maker

Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (Japanese, 1797-1858, b. in Edo)
Sanoya Kihei 佐野屋喜兵衛 (Japanese, 1717-1875), publisher

Title

Mandarin ducks (Oshidori)

Period

Edo (Japanese period)

Year

1830s

Medium

  • Polychrome woodblock print with gauffrage

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Polychrome woodblock print with gauffrage

Materials

ink, color

Supports

  • paper

Geography

Place Made: Japan; Place Made: Tokyo

Dimensions

Hosoban: 37.8 x 17.6 cm (14 7/8 x 6 15/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscription at left. [text and poems] Oshidori no (translates to) In a morning storm wakare mo mitari/asaarashi (translates to) I saw two Mandarin ducks part K259/34.129;34.135The poem probably means a couple forced to part. Another poem using "asa arashi" (morning storm) describes a man setting off in a boat in blustering winds as his wife watches sadly from shore.The same poem appears on another print in the collection with the poet's name and translated thus:Oshidori non(translates to) The morning tempest wakare o* mitari (translates to) sees even Mandarin ducks asa arashi (translates to) go separate ways. (trans. Marks in Bogel) Poem signed Sakushoken Riho K 261/34.133 *preferable to read "mo"

Signature: Signed | Hiroshige hitsu

Seals: Artist's seal | Ichiryusai; publisher's seal | Sanoki han

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Object Number

34.273.1

Type

  • Prints

Related Objects

A pair of colorful ducks drift on curving, deep blue water beneath a vine of orange and blue flowers blooming from the upper right corner.

Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重

Mandarin Ducks, Edo Period

Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重

Mandarin Duck ([Setchû] Oshidori), Edo (Japanese period)

Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重

Mandarin Ducks and Reeds (Ashi ni oshidori), Edo Period

Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重

Mandarin Ducks and Reeds (Kareashi ni oshidori), Edo (Japanese period)

More objects +

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

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

Tombstone

Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (Japanese, 1797-1858, b. in Edo)
Sanoya Kihei 佐野屋喜兵衛 (Japanese, 1717-1875), publisher
Mandarin ducks (Oshidori), 1830s
Polychrome woodblock print with gauffrage
Hosoban: 37.8 x 17.6 cm (14 7/8 x 6 15/16 inches)
Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 34.273.1

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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