Ono no Komachi Washing the Copybook (Soshiarai Komachi), from the series The Seven Ukiyo-e Aspects of Komachi (Ukiyo-e nana Komachi)

1775·Color woodblock print; chuban·25.6 × 18.9 cm (10 1/8 × 7 1/2 in.)

<p>In this image, two young women chat on the veranda of a house while one does her washing in a basin. This scene recalls a story from the life of Ono no Komachi in which one of the poet’s rivals accused her of plagiarizing one of her poems from an ancient book, when in fact he had added her text to the original document. To prove her innocence and thwart the plan, Komachi scrubbed the freshly applied ink from the ancient text.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1775
Medium: Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions: 25.6 × 18.9 cm (10 1/8 × 7 1/2 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Torii Kiyonaga

Artist

Torii Kiyonaga

Installation

Torii Kiyonaga was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Torii school. Originally Sekiguchi Shinsuke, the son of an Edo bookseller, from Motozaimokuchō Itchōme in Edo, he took on Torii Kiyonaga as an art name. Although not biologically related to the Torii family, he became head of the group after the death of his adoptive father and teacher Torii Kiyomitsu.

Japan

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