Minneapolis Institute of Art

Illustration of the Emperor Kōkō's Poem

Utagawa Kuniyoshi; Publisher: Ebisu

Date

c. 1840–42

Medium

Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Kakinomoto Hitomaro was a great poet and, after his death around 739, he was deified as a Shinto god. In his poem, written here in the upper portion of the print, he emphasizes the loneliness of autumn: Ah, the foot-drawn trail of the mountain-pheasant's tail dropped like a down-curved branch Through this long, long-dragging night must I keep my cushion alone? Kuniyoshi strengthened the autumnal association within his composition by picturing autumn grasses, the full moon, and maple leaves as decoration on the small folding screen near Hitomaro. Japan, Asia

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