Umbrellas Triptych: Sanogawa Ichimatsu I

Object Details

• Artist

  Okumura Masanobu 奥村政信 (1686-1764)

• Label

  Images of actors in Japanese prints are not limited to theatrical settings. In this case, Sanogawa Ichimatsu I (1722-1762), who was known for his skill in playing female roles (onnagata), carries an umbrella ornamented with his crest and wears high geta and a graceful, multilayered robe as he strolls in a beautiful autumn setting. The poem, a haiku (hokku) probably written by the artist Masanobu, reads:

  Even in autumn showers,

  completely untinged-

  a solitary pine tree.

  The poem suggests that autumn foliage is colored by the autumn rains. The imagery of the poem and the print also link this scene to Kyoto and the Shigure-tei hermitage of the court poet Fujiwara no Teika (1162-1241). The title of the print, Umbrellas Triptych, right (meaning stage right, viewer's left), indicates that it belongs to a triptych of similar designs, for which one print remains unknown. This print is an elegant example of two-color printing, a process that preceded the development of full-color printing in 1765.

  Translation of poem by John T. Carpenter

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Masterful Illusions: Japanese Prints from the Anne van Biema Collection (September 15, 2002 to January 9, 2003)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  The Anne van Biema Collection

• Type

  Print

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1770s, 1780s, 1790s, 1730s, 1740s, 1750s, 1760s, 1800s, 1810s, 1820s, 1830s, 1610s, 1650s, 1640s, 1630s, 1620s, 1690s, 1840s, 1680s, 1850s, 1670s, 1860s, 1660s

• Name

  Okumura, Masanobu

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Art, Maple tree, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, Anne van Biema collection, Umbrellas, Ukiyo-e, Hosoban

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Prints