The Poetess Michitsuna no Haha, from the series "The Thirty-six Immortal Women Poets (Nishikizuri onna sanjurokkasen)"
Edo period (1615–1868), 1801
Medium
Pages from a color woodblock-printed volume
Dimensions
24.7 × 18.5 cm (9 3/4 × 7 5/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
34966
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of Edo-period Japan with *The Poetess Michitsuna Haha*, a stunning page from Chôbunsai Eishi's series *The Thirty-six Immortal Poets (Nishikizuri onna sanjurokkasen)*, created in 1801 This color woodblock print, measuring 24.7 × 18.5 cm, the renowned Heian-era poetess—known as "Michitsuna's Motherin a moment of refined poise, embodying the timeless grace of classical Japanese literature. Eishi, a master of ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world"), specialized in bijin-ga, or depictions of beautiful women, blending delicate lines with vibrant hues achieved through...
About the Artist
Chôbunsai Eishi · 1756–1829
Chôbunsai Eishi, born Hosoda Tokitomi in 1756 to a prosperous samurai family of the Fujiwara clan in Edo, inherited a substantial stipend of 500 koku of rice annually. His grandfather had served as the shogunate's Treasury Minister, and upon his father Hosoda Tokiyuki's death in 1772, Eishi became family head while holding a position in Shogun Tokugawa Ieharu's palace from 1781. Unusually for a uk...