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Image

RISDM 20-1178.tif
  • RISDM 20-1178.tif

Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎

Ono no Komachi

Description

Maker

Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎 (Japanese, 1760-1849, b. in Edo, Japan)
Ezakiya Kichibei 江崎屋吉兵衛 (Japanese, 1773 - 1852), publisher

Title

Ono no Komachi
untitled (known as The Six Immortal Poets)
Rokkasen

Period

Edo (Japanese period)

Year

1810s

Medium

  • polychrome woodblock print

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Polychrome woodblock print

Materials

ink and color

Supports

  • paper

Geography

Place Made: Japan

Dimensions

Vertical ōban: 39 x 25.7 cm (15 3/8 x 10 1/8 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscription Text/Poem

Signature: Katsushika Hokusai ga

Inscription: Inscription verso, bottom right in pencil: EGR211 White rectangular label with scalloped edges verso, bottom center with inscription in ink: 98[text and poems] Poem by Ono no Komachi from Kokinshu (Collection of ancient and modern waka), ca. 905, XV: 797: Iro miede (translates to) In this world utsurou (translates to) what fadesyo no naka no (translates to)without changing its outer hue hito no kokoro no/hana ni zo arikeru (translates to)is the flower of the heart of manCalligraphy by Tokunan. (signed after poem lower left)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke

Object Number

20.1178

Type

  • Prints

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Text, Paratext, and Images
Sep 01, 2020 – Jul 24, 2021

Label copy

These depictions of Asian poets reflect the connection between writers and their texts, visualized here through deliberate use of forms.

Portrayed at left is Khwaja Shams-ud-Din Mu?ammad ?afe?-e Shirazi (Hafiz), a Persian poet from the 1300s whose influence can be felt to this day. He is entertained by a swaying dancer and a musician playing a daf, a Persian frame drum. The figures’ curving forms capture the rhythm of music depicted in the scene. [17.432]

At right is Ono no Komachi, a celebrated Japanese poet who lived in the 800s. Her figure is formed by the cursive characters of her name. Written above is one of her poems, which echoes the calligraphic lines of her clothes. [20.1178]

Poets, Heroes, and Courtiers
Literary and Narrative Traditions in Japanese Prints
Sep 06, 2002 – Dec 01, 2002

Label copy

A handful of poems by Ono no Komachi (active 834-857) are preserved in the tenth-century Collection of Ancient and Modern Poems (Kokin waka-shu). It is the legends about her life, however, that have perpetuated her fame and immortalized her beauty.

In this rendition of the alluring poetess, Hokusai has used the characters of her name to draw her form. The print, although faded, still preserves the elegance and grace of Hokusai’s original design.

The Art of Hokusai
Mar 15, 1996 – Jun 09, 1996

Use & Feedback

Image use

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

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

Tombstone

Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎 (Japanese, 1760-1849, b. in Edo, Japan)
Ezakiya Kichibei 江崎屋吉兵衛 (Japanese, 1773 - 1852), publisher
Ono no Komachi; untitled (known as The Six Immortal Poets); Rokkasen, 1810s
Polychrome woodblock print
Vertical ōban: 39 x 25.7 cm (15 3/8 x 10 1/8 inches)
Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke 20.1178

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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