Shibata Zeshin
Japanese, 1807-1891
Layers of Kikaku Poetry
INV-4372
Shibata Zeshin
Japanese, 1807-18918th month, 1885
Layers of Kikaku Poetry
Shibata Zeshin Japanese, 1807-1891 →Japanese (culture or style)woodblock printprint
Date
8th month, 1885
Medium
Color woodblock print; surimono
Dimensions
57.5 × 43 cm (22 11/16 × 16 15/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Charles H. Mitchell Collection unrestricted gift
This print represents a complex tribute to the great Japanese haiku poet Takarai Kikaku (1661–1707) and his descendants. Kikaku was a close follower and student of the poet Bashô (1644–1694) and started his own school of haiku poetry, which remained popular into the early 20th century.
This print is hosted by a descendant of Kikaku, Kikakudo Eiki (1823–1904), whose poem is presented at the bottom left. The 175 inscriptions were made by cultural figures and others who may have been Kikakudo’s students. The print functions as a tribute to the original Kikaku by illustrating and describing an ink stone he owned. It also acts to legitimate Kikakudo, placing him in the context of his forefather and in central positions in the composition. Kikakudo further asserted his position in the cultural world by including the poet Yoda Hyakusen and the artist Shibata Zeshin in the creation of the print.
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
