Sojo Henjo, twelfth poet in the series One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets Explained by the Nurse
c. 1835/36
Medium
Color woodblock print; yoko oban
Dimensions
26.2 × 37.6 cm (10 3/8 × 14 13/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
89521
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This is a scene based on the poet’s early career as a descendant of the imperial family and as a court minister, before the poet became a priest. The scene is springtime at court, where a young woman of nobility performs a dance (usually held in the fall) related to the success of the rice crop that was planted annually in the spring by the emperor. Later, of course, this poet became known as the first of the six Poetic Immortals, for his modern poems.
About the Artist
Katsushika Hokusai · 1760–1849
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) stands as one of history's most influential artists, a Japanese master who revolutionized the ukiyo-e woodblock print tradition and profoundly shaped Western art. Born in the Katsushika district of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to an artisan family, Hokusai lived through nearly nine decades of extraordinary creative evolution, adopting over thirty different artistic names t...