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Katsukawa Shunzan

Rising sun and Takasago pine (Hinode to Takasago no matsu)

Maker

Attributed to Katsukawa Shunzan (Japanese, fl. ca. 1782-1798)

Title

Rising sun and Takasago pine (Hinode to Takasago no matsu)

Period

Edo Period

Year

1790s

Medium

  • polychrome woodblock print

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Polychrome woodblock print

Materials

ink, color

Supports

  • paper

Geography

Place Made: Japan; Place Made: Tokyo

Dimensions

Image: 23 x 24.1 cm (9 1/16 x 9 1/2 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscription verso, towards bottom centerin pencil: 433; in a later hand, verso, bottom right in pencil: NJX409/[Japanese Characters]

Signature: unsigned

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Object Number

34.322

Type

  • Prints

Exhibition History

The Art of the Fan
Uchiwa-e in Japanese Prints
Dec 07, 2001 – Mar 03, 2002

Label copy

The story of the pine spirit Takasago (identified by the rake), who every night visited his love (represented by the broom) at Sumiyoshi, is taken from a famous No play. In addition to symbolizing the pines for which these two places were famous, the two spirts also stand for eternal fidelity and longevity.

Fan-Shaped Bird and Flower Prints from the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Collection
May 11, 1990 – Jun 30, 1990

Label copy

The image of a bamboo broom and rake underneath an ancient pine tree alludes to a famous Noh play in which the pine spirits of Takasago and Sumiyoshi (two scenic places once blessed with beautiful pine trees) symbolize not only two of Japan's earliest, most important anthologies of poetry, the Manyoshu (8th century) and the Kokinshu (10th century), but also longevity and conjugal devotion.

In the drama, the pine spirits are personified by an elderly, loving couple. The old man, who carries a rake, journeys nightly from Sumiyoshi to visit his wife in Takasago, who holds a broom. His eternal devotion makes the theme a celebratory motif, and it is still customary to recite lines from this play at wedding ceremonies.

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

Attributed to Katsukawa Shunzan (Japanese, fl. ca. 1782-1798)
Rising sun and Takasago pine (Hinode to Takasago no matsu), 1790s
Polychrome woodblock print
Image: 23 x 24.1 cm (9 1/16 x 9 1/2 inches)
Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 34.322

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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