Art Institute of Chicago

Multitudes of Cranes

Bokushin

Date

spring 1863

Medium

Color woodblock print; surimono

Culture

Japan

Department

Arts of Asia

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This is a striking image of a rising sun and 50 cranes flying in formation above a cloud bank. These symbols of long life were used here to honor the 50th birthday of the poet Baigyo. Called chimei , a 50th birthday was seen as a big stepping-stone in life and a halfway point to the idealized old age of 100. The artist Bokushin is not well known today, indicating the great number of artists available to surimono publishers at this time. He may have been a poet who excelled in the visual arts. It is also possible that the design was copied from a work with a similar design by another artist.

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