Ono no Komachi
Woodblock Print
1843-1847 (made)
1843-1847 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
In this 'uchiwa-e' (rigid fan print) design Hiroshige depicts the famous ninth-century poetess Ono no Komachi. The elegant scene shows her awake in her room at night. The 'waka' (31 syllable) poem in the red cartouche reads: 'Omoitsutsu / Nureba ya hito no / Mietsuran / Yume to shiriseba / Samezaramashi o' (It must have been because I fell asleep tormented by longing that my lover appeared to me / Had I known it was a dream, I should never have awakened). Ono no Komachi has been described as the first Japanese to have recreated in poetry the torment of frustrated passion. Her renown was such that she was included both among the tenth-century 'Rokkasen' (Six Poetic Geniuses) and the eleventh-century 'Sanjurokkasen' (36 Poetic Geniuses). Artists used these formulae extensively in later centuries. Here Hiroshige has used it in specific relation to women poets.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Titles |
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Materials and techniques | Colour print from woodblocks |
Brief description | Woodblock print, Utagawa Hiroshige I; 'Ono no Komachi', from the series 'The Thirty-six Women Poets'; fan print, Japanese, 1843-1847 |
Physical description | Fan print, aiban size. Artist signature: Hiroshige ga. Publisher mark: Enshuya Matabei. Censor seal: Hama. |
Style | |
Credit line | R. Leicester Harmsworth Gift |
Summary | In this 'uchiwa-e' (rigid fan print) design Hiroshige depicts the famous ninth-century poetess Ono no Komachi. The elegant scene shows her awake in her room at night. The 'waka' (31 syllable) poem in the red cartouche reads: 'Omoitsutsu / Nureba ya hito no / Mietsuran / Yume to shiriseba / Samezaramashi o' (It must have been because I fell asleep tormented by longing that my lover appeared to me / Had I known it was a dream, I should never have awakened). Ono no Komachi has been described as the first Japanese to have recreated in poetry the torment of frustrated passion. Her renown was such that she was included both among the tenth-century 'Rokkasen' (Six Poetic Geniuses) and the eleventh-century 'Sanjurokkasen' (36 Poetic Geniuses). Artists used these formulae extensively in later centuries. Here Hiroshige has used it in specific relation to women poets. |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.2933-1913 |
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Record created | November 19, 2003 |
Record URL |
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