The Eastern Journey of the Celebrated Poet Ariwara no Narihira

1801·Color woodblock print; nagaban surimono·19.6 × 53.1 cm (7 3/4 × 20 15/16 in.)

This picture is based on the ninth scene in Tales of Ise. Finding life uncomfortable in the capital, Kyoto, the poet traveled east with some friends. They took a river ferry near Mount Fuji and saw a flock of strange birds. In answer to their questions, the ferryman replied, “It is a capital bird, of course.” Stopping on the bank, the poet made this request: If you are in truth What your name seems to make you, I will put it to you, Capital-bird, this question: Do things go well with my love? (Translated by Steven Carter)

Catalogue

Year: 1801
Medium: Color woodblock print; nagaban surimono
Dimensions: 19.6 × 53.1 cm (7 3/4 × 20 15/16 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Katsushika Hokusai

Artist

Katsushika Hokusai

Painting

Katsushika Hokusai was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker. His woodblock print series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji includes the iconic print The Great Wave off Kanagawa. Hokusai was instrumental in developing ukiyo-e from a style of portraiture largely focused on courtesans and actors into a much broader style of art that focused on landscapes, plants, and animals. His works had a significant influence on Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet during the wave of Japonisme that spread across Europe in the late 19th century.

Tokyo, Japan

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Poem by Gon-Chunagon Masafusa (Oe no Masafusa), from the series “One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets Explained by a Wet Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki)”

1921 · Color woodblock print

WW-1921-018489