The Poem of Ariwara no Narihira (Ariwara no Narihira Ason)

Dateca. 1838

Maker Katsushika Hokusai Japanese, 1760 - 1849

Label TextHokusai 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.

Object number2010.47.5

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 CreditPhoto: Colleen Kollar Zorn

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Fleeting Beauty: Japanese Woodblock Prints, Apr. 1 - July 4, 2010. Text by Catherine Roche. Cat. no. 48, reproduced p. 71. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Tabaimo: Utsutsushi Utsushi, Nov. 11, 2016 - Feb. 26, 2017. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing [on view July 16 - Oct. 24, 2021].

Credit LineGift of Mary and Allan Kollar, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum

DimensionsSheet size: 10 1/4 x 14 3/4 in. (26 x 37.5 cm)

MediumWoodblock print; ink and color on paper