Parody of Princess Joruri and Ushiwakamaru

Parody of Princess Joruri and Ushiwakamaru, a Torii Kiyonaga print held by the Art Institute of Chicago and dated to about 1783, plays on one of the most famous romantic narratives in Japanese literature. The medieval tale of the noble warrior-to-be Ushiwakamaru - the young Minamoto no Yoshitsune - and the high-born Princess Joruri, whose love story unfolds in the Joruri jurokudan and ultimately gives its name to the entire chanted-narrative tradition, was an Edo period staple. Kiyonaga's mitate ('parody' or 'transposition') updates the lovers as contemporary figures in fashionable Edo dress, allowing the tall, gracefully proportioned figures characteristic of his Edo bijin-ga to stand in for the classical pair. The print depends on the viewer's familiarity with the legend to enjoy the substitution: a young woman of the licensed quarter takes the place of the princess, while a sleek youth becomes Ushiwakamaru, the costumes' subtle hints - perhaps a small accessory or pattern - leading the eye toward the joke. As leader of the Torii school, Kiyonaga had the compositional resources of a workshop trained in theater and figural drawing, and his mitate is calmer than many parody prints of the period, trusting the elegance of figure and setting to carry the recognition. Block printing in restrained color reinforces this poise. Held by the Art Institute of Chicago, the sheet exemplifies the way Kiyonaga's bijin-ga conversed with classical literature without losing its modern Edo voice.