Fujiwara no Okikaze, from the series "One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets (Hyakunin isshu no uchi)"
c. 1842
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
25.1 × 36.2 cm (9 7/8 × 14 1/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
105934
Art Historical Context
Behold the striking woodblock print *Fujiwara no Okik, from the series " Hundred Poems by One Hundred (Hyakunin isshu no uchi)"* by Utagawa Kunoshi, created around 1842. This oban-sized color woodblock print (25.1 × 36.2 cm) captures the essence of theian-era poet Fujiwara no Okikaze one of 100 luminaries featured in this renowned Japanese anthology. Kuniyoshi, a master of the ukiyo-e tradition, infuses the portrait with his signature dynamism, blending portraiture with evocative symbolism to honor the poet's legacy. The *Hyakunin Isshu*, compiled in the 13th century by Fujiwara no Teika, is ...
About the Artist
Utagawa Kuniyoshi · 1797–1861
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) was born in Edo to the silk-dyer Yanagiya Kichiyemon, originally bearing the childhood name Yoshisaburō. From a young age, he assisted in his family's pattern design work, which sharpened his innate mastery of color and textile motifs that would permeate his later prints. At around twelve years old, his prodigious drawing skills drew the attention of the renowned Utag...