c. 1835/36
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎 Japanese, 1760-1849
Japan
This is a scene based on the poet’s early career as a descendant of the imperial family and as a court minister, before the poet became a priest. The scene is springtime at court, where a young woman of nobility performs a dance (usually held in the fall) related to the success of the rice crop that was planted annually in the spring by the emperor. Later, of course, this poet became known as the first of the six Poetic Immortals, for his modern poems.
Color woodblock print; yoko oban