Kogo no Tsubone, from the series "Framed Pictures of Women for the Katsushika Circle (Katsushikaren gakumen fujin awase)"
c. 1822
Medium
Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono
Dimensions
21.7 × 19.2 cm (8 9/16 × 7 9/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
34375
Art Historical Context
Behold *Kogo no Tsubone*, a captivating color woodblock print by Yashima Gakutei, created around 1822 as part of the series *Framed Pictures of Women for Katsushika Circle (atsushikaren gakumen fujin awase)*. Gakutei, a Osaka-based ukiyo-e artist, specialized in elegant depictions of women and landscapes, blending delicate lines with poetic refinement. This intimate shikishiban-format print—square and luxurious—portrays Kogo no Tsubone, a historical court lady from Japan's Heian period, framed as if in a picture within a picture, evoking the refined tastes of Edo-period poetry enthusiasts. As...
About the Artist
Yashima Gakutei · 1786–1868
Yashima Gakutei (c. 1786–1868), born in Osaka as the illegitimate son of a Tokugawa shogunate samurai named Hirata, adopted the name from his mother's subsequent marriage into the Yashima clan. Little is documented about his early years beyond these familial ties, but he pursued artistic training under the esteemed ukiyo-e masters Totoya Hokkei and Katsushika Hokusai, absorbing their precision in ...