Utagawa Toyokuni I 初代 歌川 豊国
Japanese, 1769–1825
The Courtesan Takikawa of Ogiya, from the series Seven Beautiful Komachi (Bijin nana Komachi)
INV-2421
Utagawa Toyokuni I 初代 歌川 豊国
Japanese, 1769–1825Edo period (1615–1868), about 1794
The Courtesan Takikawa of Ogiya, from the series Seven Beautiful Komachi (Bijin nana Komachi)
Utagawa Toyokuni I 初代 歌川 豊国 Japanese, 1769–1825 →Japanese (culture or style)woodblock printprint
Date
Edo period (1615–1868), about 1794
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
37.5 × 24.4 cm (14 3/4 × 9 5/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Clarence Buckingham Collection
A high-ranking courtesan (identifiable as such by her name, clothing, and many hair ornaments) sits in her room with her pipe and tobacco accessories. The hanging scroll behind her shows an image of an elderly Ono no
Komachi, who is resting on a log in the shape of a Buddhist stupa, a dome-like structure used for meditation. Because of its form, the log was considered a sacred object, and according to legend, a passing priest admonished the poet for sitting on it. In response, she composed the poem inscribed above the image:
If the stupa were within Paradise,
It would indeed be wicked to sit on it,
But if it is outside,
Can it be such a terrible thing?
(Translation by Roy E. Teele)
Also notable
Works in the same vein
Komurasaki of the Miuraya and Shirai Gompachi (Miuraya Komurasaki, Shirai Gompachi)
Kitagawa Utamaro 喜多川 歌麿 Japanese, c.1753-1806
Hamamatsu, from the series "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido (Tokaido gojusan tsugi)," also known as the Tokaido with Poem (Kyoka iri Tokaido)
Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川 広重 Japanese, 1797-1858
Mitsuke: Ferries Crossing the Tenryu River (Mitsuke, Tenryugawa funawatashi), from the series "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido (Tokaido gojusan tsugi)," also known as the Tokaido with Poem (Kyoka iri Tokaido)
Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川 広重 Japanese, 1797-1858
