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Overview
Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865) was the most popular and prolific designer of ukiyo-e in 19th century Japan. He is estimated to have produced between 20,000 and 25,000 designs for woodblock prints during his lifetime. His reputation was clinched when he was in his early twenties; it was as great as that of his teacher Toyokuni I, and lifelong. His status was largely unchallenged in his lifetime, though it was long unfairly neglected because of cyclical attitudes to Japanese prints. Frank Whitford recognised this early on: ‘Perhaps because of his huge output… Kunisada has not been treated well by the historians of ukiyo-e, although much of his work… reached the highest standards.’ His reputation was rescued considerably later than those of Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi, really only dating from the 1990s through the scholarship of Jan van Doesburg and Sebastian Izzard. Kunisada showed the versatility typical of print designers; while best known for his depictions of kabuki and his yakusha-e actor prints, he was also a specialist in bijin-ga (beautiful women), illustrations from The Tales of Genji and more luxurious surimono prints.
We see Kunisada in his full 'coarseness' (according to early 20th century critic A.D. Ficke) or 'gorgeousness' (as many would perceive it today) in this colourful representation of a court dancer for his pictorial play on a verse by the Heian scholar, poet and politician Sugawara no Michizane (845–903 CE), from a series illustrating the Hyakunin isshu (One hundred poets, one poem each). Although Michizane died in exile, he was posthumously exonerated and deified as Kitano Tenjin, and worshipped, in Edo and today, as a god of learning. The scroll-shaped cartouche conveys information about Michizane, and the two ‘gold’-flecked cards for the game uta-garuta offer a portrait of the poet, and – divided between them – his poem:
kono tabi ha This time around
nusa mo tori-ahezu I couldn’t even bring sacred streamers
tamuke-yama – Offering Hill –
momijhi no nishiki but if this brocade of autumn leaves
kami no mani-mani is to the god’s liking...
In the Kokinshū imperial verse compilation, the headnote to this poem reads: ‘Composed at Tamuke Yama (“Offering Hill”) when the Suzaku Retired Emperor [Uda] went to Nara’. The note refers to a 12-day excursion that Uda made to Nara and Sumiyoshi in 898 CE; the tamuke-yama referred to in this verse was located between Heian-kyō (Kyoto) and Nara. Some illustrations of this journey suggest that Michizane himself was part of the retinue.
Te Papa has another print in the same series, Poet no. 6: Chünagon (Otomo no) Yakamochi, from the series Hyakunin isshu (One Hundred poems by one hundred poets), (Te Papa 2016-0008-34).
Sources:
David Bell, 'Floating world at Te Papa: the Heriot collection', Tuhinga, 30 (2019), pp. 56-81.
Frank Whitford, Japanese Prints and Western Painters (London, 1977).
Dr Mark Stocker Curator, Historical International Art May 2019