Otomo no Kuronushi, 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, dated c. 1814/17, casts a child as Otomo no Kuronushi, the ninth-century waka poet known for a melancholy autumn poem and for a legendary scene in which he is depicted secretly painting his rival Komachi's poem onto an old book to discredit her — a moment that became the basis for the Noh play "Soshi-arai Komachi." Eizan's child Kuronushi would have carried these associations for an educated viewer, perhaps cued by a brush, scroll, or other prop. Within the six-sheet set the Kuronushi sheet sits opposite the Komachi sheet in a kind of paired tension, and the two would have been read together as the most plot-laden of the six. As an example of mitate-as-children the design is also one of the milder, more affectionate uses of the convention.
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
Otomo no Kuronushi, 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.
Otomo no Kuronushi, from the series "Fashionable Children as the Six Immortal Poets (Furyu kodakara rokkasen)" depicts children.