Seigen Languishing for His Love, Princess Sakura (Seigen daraku no zu)
- Date:
- c. 1889
- Medium:
- Color woodblock prints; oban diptych
- Format:
- Oban
"Seigen Languishing for His Love, Princess [Sakura](/glossary/sakura)" (circa 1889) depicts the tragic Buddhist monk Seigen, who fell disastrously in love with the courtier's daughter Sakura-hime (Cherry Blossom Princess), a tale that became one of the most popular subjects in kabuki drama. His spiritual fall from priestly discipline into obsessive passion—and the supernatural consequences of that passion—gave the story its enduring fascination for Japanese audiences. Yoshitoshi renders the monk in a state of delirious longing, his priestly robes disheveled, the cherry blossoms of his beloved's name falling around him.
1888
Color woodblock print; oban
n.d.
Color woodblock print
Kumoi sakura
1926
Color woodblock print
1935
Color woodblock print
Romon
1935
Color woodblock print
円山公園桜
Woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Seigen Languishing for His Love, Princess Sakura (Seigen daraku no zu) was created by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) in c. 1889.
Seigen Languishing for His Love, Princess Sakura (Seigen daraku no zu) depicts cherry blossoms.