Lady Komachi
19th century
Medium
Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
8 3/16 x 7 1/8 in. (20.8 x 18.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture
Japan
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
JP2163
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Lady Komachi*, a 19th-century wood print (surimono by the Japanese artist Yashima Gakutei. This intimate work, measuring just 8 3/16 x 7 1/8 inches, captures a graceful woman—likely inspired by the legendary Heian-era poetess Ono no Komachi—ised elegantly with a fan. Rendered in vibrant inks and colors on paper, it exemplifies the refined artistry of Japan's ukiyo-e tradition, where everyday beauty and poetic elegance intertwined. Surimono prints like this one were privately commissioned gems, often produced for New Year's celebrations or poetry gatherings among literati. Gakutei's ma...
About the Artist
Yashima Gakutei · 1786–1868
Yashima Gakutei (c. 1786–1868), born in Osaka as the illegitimate son of a Tokugawa shogunate samurai named Hirata, adopted the name from his mother's subsequent marriage into the Yashima clan. Little is documented about his early years beyond these familial ties, but he pursued artistic training under the esteemed ukiyo-e masters Totoya Hokkei and Katsushika Hokusai, absorbing their precision in ...