
Bunya no Yasuhide, from the series "Fashionable Children as the Six Immortal Poets (Furyu kodakara rokkasen)"
- Date:
- c. 1814/17
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print; oban
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
Another oban from "Fashionable Children as the Six Immortal Poets," dated c. 1814/17 by the Art Institute of Chicago, this sheet identifies its young sitter with Bunya no Yasuhide, the ninth-century waka poet known for a famously witty poem on autumn winds. Eizan poses the child in a manner that suggests the poet's signature theme — typically a gesture or accessory connected to wind, leaves, or season — while keeping the costume and styling firmly contemporary. The print is part of the larger six-sheet set held by the Art Institute, and seeing it together with its companion sheets makes clear how Eizan calibrated each child's pose to a different Rokkasen attribute, building a small ukiyo-e narrative across the series. As a piece of the children-as-classics genre it is also a reminder of how Edo's print culture rewarded literary insider knowledge: the joke of mitate worked only when the viewer recognized the classical reference behind the modern figure.
More Prints by Kikukawa Eizan

The Theater District in Sakai-cho (Sakai cho shibai), from the "Fashionable Eight Views of the Eastern Capital (Furyu Toto hakkei)"
c. 1824/29
Color woodblock print; oban

Beauty standing beside morning glories
c. 1814/17
Color woodblock print; center sheet of oban triptych (right sheet: 1963.613)

Returning Sails at Yabase (Yabase kihan), from the series "Fashionable Eight Views of Omi (Furyu Omi hakkei)"
c. 1814/17
Color woodblock print; oban

Enjoying the Evening Cool at Ryogoku Bridge (Ryogokubashi noryo), from the series "Fashionable Eight Views of Edo (Furyu Edo hakkei)"
early 19th century
Color woodblock print; oban
More Children Prints
Frequently Asked Questions
Bunya no Yasuhide, from the series "Fashionable Children as the Six Immortal Poets (Furyu kodakara rokkasen)" was created by Kikukawa Eizan (菊川英山) in c. 1814/17.
Bunya no Yasuhide, from the series "Fashionable Children as the Six Immortal Poets (Furyu kodakara rokkasen)" depicts children.



