Ukiyoe, seated couple at picnic
Maker
Japanese
Label TextThis seemingly serene scene is drawn from a dramatic play called Momiji-gari, or Maple Viewing, performed in both Noh and Kabuki theaters. The warrior Taira no Koremochi goes to Mount Togakushi for a deer hunt, and there he meets a beautiful woman who invites him to a maple viewing party. Koremochi drinks some sake that she offers him, and falls asleep. Thereupon she reveals her true form as a demon, and attacks the drunken man. Koremochi fights the demon with his sword, which was given to him by the deity Hachiman, and eventually kills her. In this painting, the demon in the disguise of a beautiful woman stands behind the warrior, under a maple tree.
Object number33.1685
Photo CreditPhoto: Spike Mafford
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Legends, Tales, Poetry: Visual Narrative in Japanese Art, December 22, 2012 - July 21, 2013Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection
DimensionsImage: 33 x 10 1/8 in. (83.8 x 25.8 cm)
Overall: 66 1/2 x 14 1/2 in. (168.9 x 36.8 cm)
Marion Post Wolcott
1941; printed by the photographer 1981
Object number: 83.157
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