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Snow, Moon, and Cherry Blossoms (Yoshiwara in Three Seasons)

early 19th century
Not on view
These paintings by the samurai-born artist Chōbunsai Eishi comprise a triptych representing Yoshiwara, the area around the brothel district of Edo in three seasons of the year, each with its most appealing feature: snow in winter, cherry flowers in spring, and the moon in autumn. The inscriptions on each scroll are seasonal kyōka (witty thirty-one-syllable poems), each signed “Shokusanjin” (Ōta Nanpo, 1749–1823), one of the popular poets of his time. The kyōka above the courtesan likens her unrivalled beauty to that of cherry trees planted along Nakanochō, the main boulevard of Yoshiwara, every spring:

Nakanochō
uetaru hana no
katawara ni
miyama-gi nado wa
hitomoto mo nashi

There’s not a single tree
from deep in the mountains
that could stand proudly beside
flowering cherries planted
along Nakanochō Boulevard.
—Shokusanjin
(Trans. John T. Carpenter)

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 蜀山人（大田 南畝）賛　雪・月・花図　
  • Title: Snow, Moon, and Cherry Blossoms (Yoshiwara in Three Seasons)
  • Artist: Chōbunsai Eishi (Japanese, 1756–1829)
  • Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
  • Date: early 19th century
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Triptych of hanging scrolls; ink, color, and gold on silk
  • Dimensions: Image (a): 32 3/8 × 11 13/16 in. (82.3 × 30 cm)
    Overall with mounting (a): 65 1/2 × 16 3/8 in. (166.3 × 41.6 cm)
    Overall with knobs (a): 65 1/2 × 18 9/16 in. (166.3 × 47.2 cm)
    Image (b): 32 3/8 × 11 13/16 in. (82.2 × 30 cm)
    Overall with mounting (b): 65 1/2 × 16 7/16 in. (166.3 × 41.7 cm)
    Overall with knobs (b): 65 1/2 × 18 9/16 in. (166.3 × 47.2 cm)
    Image (c): 32 3/8 × 11 3/4 in. (82.2 × 29.9 cm)
    Overall with mounting (c): 65 3/8 × 16 7/16 in. (166 × 41.7 cm)
    Overall with knobs (c): 65 3/8 × 18 9/16 in. (166 × 47.2 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
  • Object Number: 2015.300.142a–c
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
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A Man and a Girl Walking in the Rice Fields, Chōbunsai Eishi Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan
A Man and a Girl Walking in the Rice Fields
Chōbunsai Eishi
ca. 1780
A Girl with a Fan, Chōbunsai Eishi Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan
A Girl with a Fan
Chōbunsai Eishi
ca. 1780
A Cherry-Viewing Excursion by a Noble Lady and Attendants, Chōbunsai Eishi Japanese, Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper, Japan
A Cherry-Viewing Excursion by a Noble Lady and Attendants
Chōbunsai Eishi
ca. 1797
Fuji no Uraha, Chōbunsai Eishi Japanese, Two sheets from a triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper, Japan
Fuji no Uraha
Chōbunsai Eishi
ca. 1790
The Yoshiwara Parade in Autumn, Chōbunsai Eishi Japanese, Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper, Japan
The Yoshiwara Parade in Autumn
Chōbunsai Eishi
ca. 1793

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