Izutsu, from the series "Pictures of No Performances (Nogaku Zue)"
1898
Medium
Color woodblock print
Dimensions
Approx: 25.2 × 37.4 cm (10 × 15 3/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
154975
Art Historical Context
**Izutsu, from *Pictures of No PerformancesNogaku Zue*)Tsukioka Kôgyo (1869–1927), a master of late Meiji-era Japanese printmaking, created this striking color woodblock print in 1898 as part of his renowned *Nogaku Zue*. This ambitious collection of over 200 designs immortalizes scenes from Noh theater, Japan's elegant classical drama form dating back to the 14th century. *Izutsu* captures a pivotal moment from Zeami's famous Noh play of the same name, evoking the poetic tale of a woman haunted by memories at a stone well-curb, blending supernatural grace with human emotion. Printed on paper...
About the Artist
Tsukioka Kôgyo · 1869–1927
Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869–1927), born Hanyū Bennosuke in Tokyo's bustling Nihonbashi district as the second son of an innkeeper family, navigated a path from humble origins to mastery in Japanese printmaking. After his father's early death, he was raised by his mother's Sakamaki family and apprenticed in pottery painting under his uncle, a ceramics exporter in Yokohama. He briefly attended the Tokyo Sc...