Ono no Komachi by the Waterfall (Shimizu), from the series The Seven Fashionable Aspects of Komachi (Furyu yatsushi nana Komachi)
Edo period (1615–1868), 1751/64
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban
Dimensions
31.5 × 14 cm (12 3/8 × 5 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
20861
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In this print, two fashionably dressed young women view cherry blossoms at the peak of their season at Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto. This scene is based on a legend about a young Ono no Komachi (also the subject of a Nō play) in which she would frequent the temple, possibly to meet up with a man. At the upper right is a picture of Kiyomizu Temple, with its three waterfalls, which can still be seen today. The poem reads: Despite all I do It is of no avail— My body has grown old; While the waterfa...
About the Artist
Suzuki Harunobu · 1725–1770
Suzuki Harunobu (c. 1725-1770) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who revolutionized woodblock printing by developing nishiki-e—full-color prints using multiple woodblocks—in 1765. Before Harunobu, Japanese prints were limited to two or three colors; his innovation unleashed the entire artist's palette, transforming ukiyo-e into the vibrant art form that would later captivate Western artists from Manet...