The Poet Sojo Henjo, from the series "Six Immortal Poets (Rokkasen)"
c. 1785
Medium
Color woodblock print; koban
Dimensions
20.8 × 15 cm (8 1/4 × 5 15/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
21235
Art Historical Context
Torii Kiyonaga's *The Poet Sojo Hen, from the series " Immortal Poets (Rokkasen)"* (c. 1785) is a exquisite example of Edo-period ukiyo-e, the Japanese art of woodblock prints celebrating fleeting beauty and everyday elegance. Kiyonaga, a master of the Torii, was renowned for his graceful depictions of figures, blending refined lines with vibrant colors to capture poise and emotion. This koban-format print—measuring just 20. × 15 cm—exemplifies the intimate, affordable art popular among urban collectors in 18th-century Japan. Sojo Henjo (816–890), a Buddhist monk and waka poet, was one of the...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyonaga · 1752–1815
Torii Kiyonaga, born Sekiguchi Shinsuke in 1752 in Uraga, Sagami Province, was the son of an Edo bookseller who owned tenements near a bustling fish market. At age 14 in 1765, he began his apprenticeship under Torii Kiyomitsu, the third-generation head of the prestigious Torii school of ukiyo-e, renowned for kabuki theater illustrations and signage. Adopted into the Torii family, Kiyonaga succeede...