Sugawara Michizane Going into Exile
c. 1763/64
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban, mizu-e
Dimensions
31 × 14.2 cm (12 1/8 × 5 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
44198
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Through the efforts of the Fujiwara clan, Sugawara Michizane was discredited in the eyes of Emperor Daigo and ordered to assume a post in remote Kyushu. Here, he is seated on an ox. According to the long cartouche on the right, Michizane gazes over the sea and waning moon, reflecting that he cannot see the moon that shines on the capital. He died in remote Dazaifu in 903. Because of his reputation as a scholar and accomplished poet in both Chinese and Japanese, a Shinto festival soon began to ta...
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...