Rensho arriving at Mt. Koya (Rensho Koya-iri), from the series "Famous Scenes from Japanese Puppet Plays (Yamato irotake)"
c. 1705/06
Medium
Woodblock print; oban, sumizuri-e
Dimensions
27.1 × 39.4 cm (10 11/16 × 15 9/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
19603
Art Historical Context
Okumura Masanobu's *Rensho arriving at Mt. Koya (Rensho Koya-iri)*, created around 1705–06, captures a dramatic moment from Japan's vibrant tradition of puppet theater, or *bunraku*. Part of the series *F Scenes from Japanese Puppet Plays (Yamato irotake)*, this woodblock print the legendary figure Rensho's journey to the sacred Mt. Koya, a mountain retreat founded by the monk Kūkai in the 9th century and central to Shingon Buddhism. Masanobu, an innovative Edo-period artist active in early 18th-century Japan, drew from popular *joruri* narratives—chanted stories accompanying puppet performanc...
About the Artist
Okumura Masanobu · 1686–1764
Japanese, 1686–1764