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Introduction

Summer Brilliance

June 14 - September 15, 1996

The flowers illustrated in these prints bloom during the fourth, fifth, and sixth months of the lunar calendar. Roughly translated, this period is equivalent to the months of May, June, and July in our Gregorian calendar.

Most striking are the images of the iris and peony. The iris blooms in the fifth lunar month and evokes the story of the journey in to exile of the poet Ariwara no Narihira from The Tales of Ise, a tenth-century Japanese literary classic. He stops at a place called Eight Bridges and inspired by the beauty of its irises, composes a poem to lament his separation from his wife. This association is so powerful that any depiction in Japanese art of irises with water or water and a bridge immediately recalls this passage to literate Japanese. The peony, on the other hand, is a symbol of wealth and social standing derived from China while in the Chinese literary tradition, the poeny may also stand for a beautiful woman. The other blossoms depicted here--clematis, azalea, lilies, roses, poppies, and most especially the hydrangea--also carry strong associations of the summer season in Japan.

Selected Objects

Utagawa Hiroshige

Black-naped Oriole and Clematis (Tessen ni kôrai uguisu), 1840's

Soshuya Yohei, publisher

Summer, 1830's

Katsushika Hokusai

Cuckoo and azaleas (Hototogisu satsuki), ca. 1834

Utagawa Sadahide

Reed warblers, iris and Indian strawberries (Kakitsubata yoshikiri hebiichigo), 1834

After Kubo Shunman

Iris and peonies (Botan kakitsubata), 1890's

Utagawa Hiroshige

Iris (Kakitsubata), 1856.4

Nishimuraya Yohachi, publisher

Butterfly and peonies (Botan ni cho), ca. 1833-1834

Utagawa Hiroshige

Wagtail and Roses (Bara ni sekirei), 1830's

Katsushika Hokusai

Poppies (Keshi), late 1820s

Kitao Masayoshi

Wagtail (Sekirei), 1790

Utagawa Hiroshige

Peacock and Peonies (Botan ni kujaku), 1830's

Utagawa Hiroshige

Rooster and Lacecap Hydrangeas (Ajisai ni niwatori), 1840's

Utagawa Hiroshige III 三代目 歌川 広重

Tiger lilies and jay (Kanokoyuri ni kashicho), 1826-1874

Utagawa Hiroshige

Crab and clematis (Tessen ni kani), 1830's

After Katsukawa Shunsen

Butterflies and peonies (Botan ni cho), 1890's

Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III)

Fireflies and sweet flag iris (Hanashobuto hotaru), ca. 1815

More objects +

RISD Museum

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