Saigyo Hoshi gazing at Mt. Fuji
c. 1730s
Medium
Hand-colored woodblock print; hosoban, urushi-e
Dimensions
34 × 16.2 cm (13 3/8 × 6 3/8 in.)
Classification
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
44176
Art Historical Context
In the serene woodblock print *Saigyo Hoshi Gazing at Mt. Fuji created around the 1730s by Nishimuraigenaga, we encounter a poignant moment from Japanese literary tradition. Saigyo Hoshi, the revered 12th-century poet-monk, stands contemplatively before the majestic snow-capped peak of Mt. Fuji, embodying the waka poet's deep reverence for nature's sublime beauty. Shigenaga, an early ukiyo-e master associated with the Torii school captures this timeless scene in a narrow hosoban format—ideal for intimate, portable viewing—blending spiritual introspection with the "floating world" aesthetic of ...
About the Artist
Nishimura Shigenaga · 1690–1758
Nishimura Shigenaga (c. 1697–1756) was a pioneering Japanese ukiyo-e printmaker born in Edo (modern-day Tokyo), where he initially worked as a landlord in the Tōriabura-chō district before relocating to Kanda-Sakumachō to operate a bookshop. Self-taught with no known formal teacher, he immersed himself in art around 1719, drawing early inspiration from the Torii school's yakusha-e (actor portraits...