Kisen Hoshi, 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
This Art Institute of Chicago oban, also dated c. 1814/17, casts a child as Kisen Hoshi, the monk-poet of the Rokkasen whose single famous waka describes his life as a hut at Ujiyama south of Kyoto. Eizan's design gives the child the suggestion of monkish costume — a robe and perhaps a tonsured cap — while keeping the bright color palette and lively pose typical of his bijin-ga work. The Kisen sheet is one of the more visually quiet of the six, in keeping with the poet's reclusive reputation, and it shows Eizan modulating between exuberant and contemplative moods within a single series. The full Furyu kodakara rokkasen represents one of the most charming Kikukawa-school projects and is generally considered among Eizan's best-preserved series in Western collections.
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
Kisen Hoshi, 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.
Kisen Hoshi, from the series "Fashionable Children as the Six Immortal Poets (Furyu kodakara rokkasen)" depicts children.