Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重

Small Birds and Lacecap Hydrangea (Ajisai ni kotori)

Maker

Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (Japanese, 1797-1858, b. in Edo)
Fujiokaya Hikotaro (Japanese, ca. 19th century), publisher

Title

Small Birds and Lacecap Hydrangea (Ajisai ni kotori)

Period

Edo (Japanese period)

Year

1830s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink, color

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Japan; Place Made: Edo (location)

Dimensions

Image: 36.5 x 12.9 cm (14 3/8 x 5 1/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Poem:
Ajisai ya/asagi ni shibashi/yo o bakasu

A myriad of hydrangeas-light blue for awhile

Masses of hydrangeas literally "filling the world" (yo o bakasu) are an astonishing sight. The phrase also has the meaning of "to cheat." Hydrangeas change color from the time they first bloom to their height. So too can a person (likely a courtesan likened to the opulent flower) change one's mind in the midst of an assignation or affair.

White rectangular label affixed verso, bottom right with inscription in pencil: YE336/[Japanese Characters]

Signature: Signed at right | Hiroshige hitsu

Seals: Publisher's seal | Fujiokaya Hikotarô (Fujihiko); censor's seal | kiwame

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Object Number

34.240

Type

Image use

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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)
Fujiokaya Hikotaro (Japanese, ca. 19th century), publisher
Small Birds and Lacecap Hydrangea (Ajisai ni kotori), 1830s
Polychrome woodblock print
Image: 36.5 x 12.9 cm (14 3/8 x 5 1/16 inches)
Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 34.240

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