百人一首 藤原元真|Poem by Fujiwara no Motozane (ca. 860) from the Series Thirty-Six Poets
ca. 1768
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper with embossing (karazuri)
Dimensions
Image: 10 7/8 x 8 1/8 in. (27.6 x 20.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Estate of Samuel Isham, 1914
Accession Number
JP873
Tags
Art Historical Context
Suzuki Harunobu *Poem by Fujiwara no Motozane (ca 860) from the Thirty-Six Poets*ca. 1768) is a captivating woodblock print from Japan's Edo period (16151868). As a of full-color nishiki-e prints, Harunobu revolutionized ukiyo-e art around 1765, introducing vibrant hues and intricate details to popular imagery. This piece, measuring 10 7/8 x 8 1/8 inches, draws from the revered *Hyakunin Isshu* anthology, compiling one poem each from one hundred classical poets. Here, it spotlights Fujiwara no Motozane, a Heian-era noble whose verse evokes fleeting beauty, illustrated with graceful women, boys...
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...