The Poet Sugawara no Michizane Riding an Ox
c. 1764
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban, mizu-e
Dimensions
31.2 × 14.3 cm (12 1/4 × 5 5/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
88915
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 18th-century ukiyo-e, Torii Kiyomitsu I (1715–1785), a master of the Torii school captures a legendary moment in *The Poet Sugawara no Michizane Riding an Ox (c. 1764). This narrow hosoban-format woodblock print, measuring just 31.2 × 14.3 cm, depicts the Heian-era scholar and poet Sugawara no Michizane (845–903), who was unjustly exiled from Kyoto. Folklore tells of his solemn procession southward on a white ox, a poignant symbol of his dignity amid political intrigue. Later deified as Tenjin, the god of learning and poetry, Michizane became a beloved cultural icon, in...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyomitsu I · 1735–1785
Japanese, 1735–1785