Ono no Komachi: Number Two (Sono ni), from the series Stylish Parodies of the Six Poetic Immortals (Fūryū yatsushi rokkasen)

Chōbunsai Eishi Japanese

Not on view

Each print in this series presents one of the great Six Poetic Immortals of the past in up-to-date garb. Ono no Komachi (active ca. 850) was the only woman of the six. One of her famous waka (court poems) accompanies the imaginary portrait showing Komachi in flowery Edo-style robes. The motif of ephemeral cherry blossoms in the image echoes the themes of transience in the poem:

Iro miede
utsurou mono wa
yo no naka no
hito no kokoro no
hana ni zo arikeru

We cannot clearly see
the shifting colors
as they fade—the flowers
in the hearts of those we love
in this fickle world of ours.
—Trans. John T. Carpenter

Ono no Komachi: Number Two (Sono ni), from the series Stylish Parodies of the Six Poetic Immortals (Fūryū yatsushi rokkasen), Chōbunsai Eishi (Japanese, 1756–1829), Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.