Images
https://piction.clevelandart.org/cma/ump.di?e=616300BA7F809F86B8102B1C04B0DDF16F7E16DE07E0DA1F034278E166004EF6&s=24247294&se=1556577766&v=0&f=1956.755_o2.jpg
https://piction.clevelandart.org/cma/ump.di?e=CA551361C946670808B939DD3547048549C37B9C87849F11F1B6369AB77D378A&s=24247294&se=1556577766&v=3&f=1956.755_o2.jpg
Jul 25, 2014
Kuronushi from the series The New Six Immortal Poets
Kuronushi from the series The New Six Immortal Poets
新六歌仙 黒主
c. 1795
Chōbunsai Eishi 鳥文斎栄之
(Japanese, 1756–1829)
(1615-1868)
Color woodblock print
Sheet: 33.4 x 20.5 cm (13 1/8 x 8 1/16 in.)
The Fanny Tewksbury King Collection 1956.755
Location
Download and Share
Description
This print shows a courtesan adjusting her hairdo before a mirror as her attendant looks on. In the cartouche next to her is a poem by Ōtomo no Kuronishi, a Heian period courtier celebrated as one of the Six Immortal Poets. His portrait and name appear in the disk-shaped title cartouche.
The poem reads: "Mirror Mountain / Has been raised high / To show us all / Our Lord will live a thousand years!" The poem appears in the Anthology of Ancient and Modern Verse (Kokinwakashū) with a note that it was sung at the investiture of the Emperor Daigo (885-930). Here, the courtesan could be perceived as a stand-in for the emperor, making this a rather risqué print.
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.