Seigen Languishing for His Love, Princess Sakura (Seigen daraku no zu)
- Date:
- c. 1889
- Medium:
- Color woodblock prints; oban diptych
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
"Seigen Languishing for His Love, Princess 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.
More Prints by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
More Cherry Blossoms Prints
Kumoi Cherry Trees (Kumoi sakura)
Kumoi sakura
1926
Color woodblock print
Hirosaki Castle, from the series "Eight Views of Cherry Blossoms"
1935
Color woodblock print
Chion-in Temple Gate (Romon), from the series Eight Scenes of Cherry Blossoms (Sakura hachidai)
Romon
1935
Color woodblock print
Cherry Blossoms at Maruyama Park
円山公園桜
Woodblock print
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.