REKISENTEI (CHOKYOSAI) EIRI. Courtier and Two Ladies of the Court, with a Poem by Mibu no Tadamine

REKISENTEI (CHOKYOSAI) EIRI (active ca. 1789-1801)

Courtier and Two Ladies of the Court, with a Poem by Mibu no Tadamine

Courtier and Two Ladies of the Court, with a Poem by Mibu no Tadamine. Artist: Rekisentei (Chokyosai) Eiri (Japanese, active ca. 1789-1801). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: H. 9 3/16 in. (23.3 cm); W. 7 1/16 in. (17.9 cm). Date: ca. 1791. The image presents a fanciful depiction of a court poet accompanied by two young women in contemporary Edo garb. The poem is by Mibu no Tadamine, an early Heian courtier-poet (active 898-920) who was counted among the Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals (Sanjurokkasen). The poem refers to the New Year's custom of plucking pine saplings while composing poems praying for long life; it reads: Ne no hi suru nobe ni komatsu no nakariseba chiyo no tameshi ni nani o hikamashi If on the day of the rat no pine saplings are to be found what should we pluck to pray for longevity? --[Mibu no] Tadamine (Trans. John T. Carpenter).

Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Edo period (1615-1868)

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

Album / Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

Model: No - Property: No
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3268 x 4219 px | 39.4 MB

27.7 x 35.7 cm | 10.9 x 14.1 in (300 dpi)