Ōtomo no Kuronushi, from the series Portraits of Six Poets

ca. 1809–10

葛飾北斎　｢六歌仙の内　大友黒主｣　浮世絵錦絵　江戸時代

The biographical details for Ōtomo no Kuronushi are few. It is primarily through his surviving poems that one uncovers a particular attachment to the lands of Ōmi (present-day Shiga prefecture), including Mount Kagami. In the print he sits at a three-quarter turn to the viewer, and the poem reads: “Kagami yama / iza tachiyori te / mite yukamu / toshi henuru mi wa / oi ya shinuru to” (Mount Mirror / I shall stop by there / and reflect upon / how with the passing years, this body / has become old and will die soon).

Medium: Ukiyo-e: polychrome woodblock print
Dimensions: sheet: 14 7/8 × 9 5/8 in. (37.8 × 24.5 cm)
matted: 22 1/16 × 16 1/8 in. (56 × 41 cm)
Credit Line: Hobart and Edward Small Moore Memorial Collection, Gift of Mrs. William H. Moore
Accession Number: 1950.539
Geography: Japan
Culture: Japanese
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Classification: Prints
Disclaimer: Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance

Mrs. William H. Moore (1858–1955) New York; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.

Object copyright

No Copyright - United States

Additional information

Object/Work type

color woodcuts, portraits

Marks

Collector’s seal:Hayashi [Tadamasa] 林忠正 (round, relief, lower left)

Inscriptions

Ōtomo no Kuronushi 大友黒主 (centre right)\r\nPoem: “Kagami-yama/ iza tachiyori te/ mite yukan/ toshi henuru mi wa/ oi ya shinuru to” (加々美山　以さ立より天　見天由可ん　年経ぬる身ハ　おひやしぬると)\r\nMount Mirror / I shall stop by there / and reflect upon /how with the passing years, this body / has become old and will die soon.\r\n\r\n

Signed

Katsushika Hokusai ga (painted by Katsushika Hokusai) か川し可北斎画 (lower right)
Tonan sho (written by Tonan) [zu+minami] (at center left) is not yet identified.

Technical metadata and APIs

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