Hanging a Poem on a Cherry Tree / Ishikawa Toyonobu
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1955/1.130
- Title
- Hanging a Poem on a Cherry Tree
- Artist
- Ishikawa Toyonobu
- Artist Nationality
- Japanese
- Artist Life Dates
- 1711-1785
- Medium and Support
- Urushi-e (color woodblock print) on paper
- Object Creation Date
- circa 1746-1749
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- Japan (nation)
- Kanto (region)
- Tokyo (metropolis)
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Japan (nation)
- Creation Place 3
- Kanto (region)
- Creation Place 4
- Tokyo (metropolis)
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker
- Style/Group/Movement
- ukiyo-e
- Inscription
- Signed: Tanjodo Ishikawa Shuha Toyonobu zu; Artist's Seals: Ishikawa uji and Toyonobu; Publisher's Seal: Urokagata.
- Dimensions
- 58.42 cm x 43.18 cm (23 3/8 in. x 17 3/8 in.)
- Century
- 18th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Primary Object Type
- color print
- Physical Description
- A color woodblock print of a young woman hanging a paper with poem on a cherry tree. The woman is in a kimono with intricate design of cherry blossom, hemp leaves, birds and swirls, pine trees and diamond patterns. She also wears broad obi (sash) in checkerboard patterns, which is bow- tied on her back. There is also a white sash underneath the obi, which supports her long kimono. Her hair is tied on the back and adorn with tortoise-shell comb and pin. The cherry tree is in full bloom; there is a curtain with a family crest behind the woman and the tree; a certain kind of platform with swirling vine pattern is peaking below the curtain. The overall color scheme is in yellow, orange, black and white (the color of the paper). There are artist’s signature and two seals on the right bottom corner, and smaller seal on the left bottom corner.
- Subject Matter
- During the Edo period, cherry blossom season was one of the few times of year when women of upper class households were permitted to enjoy outdoor amusements. The ladies and their servants would gather under the blossoms to feast on elaborate picnics and play courtly games, all concealed from public view by large curtains. In this print, the artist allows us the voyeuristic pleasure of an unhindered view of a beautiful young woman. From her gorgeous kimono of intricate patterns and expensive tortoise-shell hair accessories, it is clear that she is a daughter of a samurai family. She is shown hanging a poem card (tanzaku) on a tree just outside the curtain—perhaps a love poem intended for someone she expects to pass by.
- The verse may be translated as
- Once more again in love,
- Once more regret--as fleeting
- (Adopted from: Maribeth Graybill
- “Four Seasons In Japanese Art”: Special Installation of Japanese Gallery at UMMA: Object Labels
- July 5, 2003-January 4, 2004)
- Secondary Keywords
- accessories worn at the waist or below
- buildings and the land
- costume
- costume accessories
- costume accessories worn
- costume by form
- coverings and hangings
- coverings and hangings by location or context
- coverings and hangings by specific type
- coverings and hangings for openings
- deciduous trees
- document genres
- document genres by form
- document genres for literary works
- furnishings
- furnishings by form or function
- information forms
- landscapes (environments)
- main garments
- natural landscapes
- objects we use
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people by gender
- plants
- settlements and landscapes
- trees
- trees by leaf life
- vegetation and vegetation components
- vegetation components
- woody plants
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 594 x 1281
- File Size
- 102 KB
- Record
- 1955/1.130
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1955-sl-1.130/1955_1.130.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1955-SL-1.130:1955_1.130.JPG
Cite this Item
View the Help Guide for more information.
- Full citation
-
"Hanging a Poem on a Cherry Tree; Ishikawa Toyonobu." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1955-sl-1.130/1955_1.130.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 19, 2024.
