Fujimusume
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
Description
Fujimusume, or the Wisteria Maiden, is a famous solo dance from the kabuki repertoire in which a young woman, the spirit of a wisteria flower, expresses longing for an unrequited love. The dancer wears a distinctive costume featuring cascading wisteria blossoms and performs with a branch of wisteria, creating a visual fusion of woman and flower. Tsunetomi's oban-format woodblock print captures this beloved stage character with the sensitivity of an artist who was deeply familiar with Osaka's kabuki and bunraku traditions. The Wisteria Maiden's combination of beauty, melancholy, and botanical symbolism made her an ideal subject for bijin-ga treatment, allowing Tsunetomi to unite his interests in female portraiture, theatrical costume, and the seasonal associations that wisteria carries as a late-spring flower.
More Prints by Kitano Tsunetomi
More Landscapes Prints
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
Woodblock print
The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fujimusume was created by Kitano Tsunetomi (北野恒富).
Fujimusume was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
Fujimusume depicts landscapes, figures, and kabuki.