Potted Violets: Jiraiya (Tsubo sumire, Jiraiya), from the series "Contemporary Parodies of the Thirty-six Selected Flowers (Tosei mitate sanjurokkasen)"
- Date:
- 1862
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print; oban
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Potted Violets: Jiraiya (Tsubo sumire, Jiraiya), from the series Contemporary Parodies of the Thirty-six Selected Flowers (Tosei mitate sanjurokkasen), dated 1786 in Art Institute of Chicago records, ties Utagawa Toyokuni's contemporary figures to the venerable scheme of the Thirty-six Immortal Poets reimagined as flowers. Each design in the series pairs a flower or plant with a contemporary subject, often drawn from the kabuki and popular hero repertoire; here the pot of violets is set against Jiraiya, the legendary thief and ninja figure who became a sensation in late Edo storybooks and stage adaptations. The mitate logic is characteristic of Edo [ukiyo-e](/glossary/ukiyo-e): classical poetic anthologies, sankakkasen and similar imperial selections, are recast through current celebrities and theatrical heroes, producing a layered image that rewards literate viewing. Toyokuni's design balances the small still-life element, the potted violets, with the figure of Jiraiya, drawing attention to costume, attribute, and pose. The pot itself becomes a delicate counterweight to the heroic figure, signaling that the design participates in both genteel and theatrical traditions at once. As [yakusha-e](/glossary/yakusha-e) in its broader sense, in which actors and stage characters become the protagonists of mitate cycles, the work demonstrates Utagawa Toyokuni's command of the layered allusive games that defined high-end Edo ukiyo-e. The Art Institute of Chicago preserves the print as a Toyokuni I composition, where it stands as evidence of how the Thirty-six Poets schema was renewed for an audience steeped in kabuki and popular literature.
early 1830s
Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono
1796
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
1769–1825
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Potted Violets: Jiraiya (Tsubo sumire, Jiraiya), from the series "Contemporary Parodies of the Thirty-six Selected Flowers (Tosei mitate sanjurokkasen)" was created by Utagawa Toyokuni I (歌川豊国) in 1862.
Potted Violets: Jiraiya (Tsubo sumire, Jiraiya), from the series "Contemporary Parodies of the Thirty-six Selected Flowers (Tosei mitate sanjurokkasen)" depicts birds & flowers.
