Yashima Gakutei 八島岳亭

Minamoto no Yoritomo with a Crane

Maker

Yashima Gakutei 八島岳亭 (Japanese, 1786?-1868)

Title

Minamoto no Yoritomo with a Crane

Period

Edo (Japanese period)

Year

1820s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink and color

Supports

Geography

Origin: Japan

Dimensions

Shikishiban: 21.9 x 18.4 cm (8 5/8 x 7 1/4 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of George Pierce Metcalf

Object Number

56.039.33

Type

Exhibition History

Deep Cuts
Stories from Japanese Surimono Prints
May 23, 2026 – Oct 04, 2026
Marking the Occasion
The Japanese Tradition of Surimono
Feb 03, 2006 – May 28, 2006

Label copy

Yoritomo (1147-99), who in 1185 established the political power of the Minamoto clan and became shogun (military ruler) to the emperor, made a practice of releasing white cranes with labels attached to their legs. He asked that, when the cranes were found, he be informed and the cranes be released to fly again. The crane is a symbol of longevity. When depicted against the background of the rising sun, it indicates a wish for long life and happiness on the first day of the New Year. The poem on the left is by Tsurunoya, leader of the “crane” group.

Marking the Occasion
Surimono from Edo and Osaka
Sep 15, 2000 – Dec 03, 2000

Label copy

Yoritomo (1147-99), who in 1185 established the political power of the Minamoto clan and became shogun (military ruler) to the emperor, made a practice of releasing white cranes with labels attached to their legs. He asked that, when the cranes were found, he be informed and the cranes be released to fly again. The crane is a symbol of longevity. When depicted against the background of the rising sun, it indicates a wish for long life and happiness on the first day of the New Year. The poem on the left is by Tsurunoya.

Surimono
Selections from the Japanese Print Collection
Jun 09, 1998 – Sep 08, 1998

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

Yashima Gakutei 八島岳亭 (Japanese, 1786?-1868)
Minamoto no Yoritomo with a Crane, 1820s
Polychrome woodblock print
Shikishiban: 21.9 x 18.4 cm (8 5/8 x 7 1/4 inches)
Gift of George Pierce Metcalf 56.039.33

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