Parody of Minamoto no Tametomo
1765
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
10 1/2 x 7 7/8 in. (26.7 x 20 cm) medium-size print (chu-ban)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936
Accession Number
JP2437
Tags
About this artwork
Suzuki Harunobu's innovative print transforms the legendary warrior Minamoto no Tametomo into a contemporary genre scene, exemplifying the playful mitate (parody) tradition in ukiyo-e art. Created in 1765, this medium-format (chu-ban) woodblock print represents a watershed moment in Japanese printmaking: it is one of the earliest full-color prints (nishiki-e), made possible by new registration techniques allowing precise alignment of multiple color blocks. Harunobu pioneered this revolutionary p...
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...