previous page |
|
view print |
|
previous page |
|
view print |
|
KUNIYOSHI, Utagawa (1797 - 1861) |
Ogura Imitation of the Hundred Poets
no. 41: Hasebe Nobutsura |
|
Signed: Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi ga, with kiri seal. Publisher: Iba-ya Sensaburo Censor's seal: Kinugasa Date: 1847-48 Size: oban tate-e (c. 35 x 23 cms / c. 13 3/4" x 9") Condition: FINE impression with fresh, unfaded colors, blank margins somewhat trimmed, not affecting the design, else in very good condition. ref. no.: # 773443 Price: € 350.00 |
|
"When Prince Takakura, in order to avoid the punitive forces of the Heike,
deigned to fall back towards Nara, he left his treasured flute, called Semi-ore
('Locust-Picker'), in his palace. A samurai of his personal guard, Haseebe Nobutsura,
understood that if the prince came back for it, the Heike forces would quickly snare
him. Nobutsura flung the enemy about like pebbles, and carried the flute back to the prince
without difficulty. Yearning after his lord, he performed this truly momentous deed... "...Kuniyoshi shows Nobutsura tying up his pants legs; a precious flute, wrapped in imperial purple, is held in his mouth. Behin him are the lanterns of the attacking Taira, recognizable by their stylized butterfly crest..." The complete series consists of 100 designs, 51 are by Kuniyoshi, 35 by Hiroshige, andf 14 by Kunisada. The set is numbered throughout in the left-hand margin. - The main subjects are mostly from history and legend, but as the series proceeds the dramatic (kabuki) element becomes increasingly prominent. The upper part of each print is divided off and contains, on the right, the title in large formal script; on the left, the name and poem of the poet concerned. For a detailed description of what is depicted in the print, including the translatiuon of the poem, see: - Herwig / Mostow, The Hundred Poets Compaired; Hotei Publishing; Leiden & Boston, 2007; no. 41, pp. 116-117. |
previous page
view print