The Salt Maidens, Murasame with Yukihira's Hat
Edo period, c. 1800
Medium
Hanging scroll, Ink and colors on silk
Dimensions
82.2 × 30.2 cm (32 3/8 × 11 15/16 in.)
Classification
hanging scroll
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
110307
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1603–1868), Chôbunsai Eishi (1756–1829) crafted *The Salt Maidens,urasame with Yukih's Hat* around 1800. This exquisite hanging scroll, rendered in ink and colors on silk (82.2 × 30.2 cm), captures a poignant moment from classical Japanese folklore. Eishi, renowned for his ukiyo-e style emphasizing graceful bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women), brings a refined elegance to this narrow, vertical format traditionally unrolled for intimate viewing during tea ceremonies or private gatherings. The scene draws from the legend of Ariwara no Yukihira, a Hei...
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...