The Poetess Ono no Komachi, from the series "Six Immortal Poets (Rokkasen)"
Edo period (1615–1868), about 1810
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
Approx: 38 × 26 cm (15 × 10 1/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
111471
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Famous poets of Japan’s classical age have been grouped into sets for centuries, likely as a way to teach their writings. The poet Ono no Komachi was the only woman among the Six Immortal Poets, commemorated in a print series by Katsushika Hokusai. She was born in the ninth century, and very little is known about her. Accounts of her vary: Some revered her as a talented poet and an incomparable beauty, while others portrayed her as an impoverished and unattractive old woman. Here she is dressed ...
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...