Jul 7, 2014

Sarutahiko from The Cave Door of Spring

Sarutahiko from The Cave Door of Spring

春磐戸 其二

1825

Part of a set. See all set records

Totoya Hokkei 魚屋 北渓

(Japanese, 1780–1850)

Second from a pentaptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper

Sheet: 18.5 x 21.6 cm (7 5/16 x 8 1/2 in.)

Bequest of James Parmelee 1940.990.2

Location

Description

These elegant surimono prints come from a set of five images inspired by the legend of the Shinto Supreme Sun Goddess, Amaterasu. She was once so offended by her brother that she retreated to a cave, leaving the earth in darkness. Several attempts to lure her out with cocks crowing, music-making, and a goddess dancing failed, but a mirror hung from a nearby tree made Amaterasu curious, bringing her to the entrance of the cave. A stone was quickly placed at the entrance to block her way back into the cave, and light was restored to the world. Each print is set against a blue evening sky with embossed clouds enriched with gold, silver, and copper.

See also

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email [email protected].

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.