Edo period (1615–1868), about 1771
Isoda Koryusai Japanese, 1735–1790
Japan
Two young women walking on a dock cover their faces demurely as they encounter a man in a boat. One wears a robe with a cherry-blossom design, a flower strongly associated with Ono no Komachi, a famous ninth-century poet. The scene illustrates a poem by Komachi, inscribed in the cloud above:
I that am lonely,
Like a reed root-cut
Should a stream entice me,
Would go, I think.
(Translation by Arthur Waley)
This poem was written by Komachi when she received an invitation to leave her self-imposed seclusion. Ashamed by her aged appearance, Komachi refused
Color woodblock print; chuban