Yamanobe no Akahito, from the series "One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets (Hyakunin isshu no uchi)"
c. 1842
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
38.1 × 25.2 cm (15 × 9 15/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
11232
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 19th-century Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints, Utagawa Kuniyoshi captures the essence of classical poetry with *Yamanobe no Akahito*, from his series *One Hundred Poems One Hundred Poets (Hyunin isshu no uchi)*, created around 1842. This oban-sized color woodblock print (381 × 25.2 cm) showcases Kuniyoshi's mastery of dynamic composition and expressive figures, blending historical reverence with the playful spirit of the "floating world" genre. Part of the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia collection, it exemplifies the Edo-period boom in affordable, mass-produce...
About the Artist
Utagawa Kuniyoshi · 1797–1861
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) was born in Edo to the silk-dyer Yanagiya Kichiyemon, originally bearing the childhood name Yoshisaburō. From a young age, he assisted in his family's pattern design work, which sharpened his innate mastery of color and textile motifs that would permeate his later prints. At around twelve years old, his prodigious drawing skills drew the attention of the renowned Utag...