The Poem of Ariwara no Narihira (Ariwara no Narihira Ason)
ca. 1838
Hokusai created a series of prints that draw inspiration from poems written almost 1000 years earlier. A delightful autumn scene is depicted in this print: villagers are crossing a bridge under which maple leaves in scarlet color are floating on the river. It captures the spirit of a poem by Ariwara no Narihira, which is inscribed in the cartouche at the upper right:
Unheard of
even in the legendary age
of the awesome gods:
Tatsuta River in scarlet
and the water flowing under it.
—Ariwara no Narihira (825–880)
Translation by Joshua Mostow, from Pictures of the Heart: The Hyakuni Isshu in Word and Image.
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Sheet size: 10 1/4 x 14 3/4 in. (26 x 37.5 cm)
Gift of Mary and Allan Kollar, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum
2010.47.5
Provenance: [Christie's, New York, Nov. 2, 1996, lot no. 562]; likely purchased at auction by [Peter Gilder, Arts and Designs of Japan, San Francisco, California]; private collection; [Christie's, New York, An Important Collection of Japanese Prints, Mar. 25, 2003, sale no. 1298, lot no. 101, reproduced p. 63]; purchased at auction by Allan Kollar, Seattle, Washington, 2003; to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 2010
Photo: Colleen Kollar Zorn
