Ono no Komachi Praying for Rain
Isoda Koryusai
Edo period (1615–1868), about 1771
Medium
Color woodblock print, hashira-e
Dimensions
69.3 × 11.5 cm (27 1/4 × 4 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
23120
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In one legend about Ono no Komachi, the ninth-century poet summons rain by reciting an ode, thereby ending a long drought. In this print, an 18th-century woman in modified court dress accomplishes the same feat by reading the poem in her hand, possibly a love letter.