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Three Gods of Waka Fan Matching: Kisegawa of Matsubaya Brothel, with Takeno and Sasano (Waka sanjin ōgi awase, Matsubaya uchi Kisegawa, Takeno, Sasano)

ca. 1796
Not on view
The popular courtesan Kisegawa of the Matsubaya Brothel is paired with the poetry of Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, one of the three gods of waka. The verse inscribed on the poem card in the upper left is one that concerns Akashi, which also bears associations with the Sumiyoshi deity, another of the three gods of waka. In the Tale of Genji, the father of the Akashi Lady prays to the Sumiyoshi deity to help his daughter find a husband and success, fulfilled by Genji’s arrival and his granddaughter’s elevation to the position of empress. This association is furthered by the lacquered cabinet containing the fifty-four chapters of the Tale of Genji beside Kisegawa. While associated with both deities, Kisegawa is most commonly linked to Kakinomoto no Hitomaro. The Hitomaro poem chosen for this image is as follows:

Hono-bono to
akashi no ura no
asagiri ni
shima-gakure yuku
fune wo shi zo omou

Dimly, dimly,
in the morning haze
across Akashi Bay,
fond memories drift away,
with the boat now hidden amid islands.

(Trans. John T. Carpenter)

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 栄松斎長喜画 「和歌三神扇合 松原屋内 吉瀬川　たけの ささの」
  • Title: Three Gods of Waka Fan Matching: Kisegawa of Matsubaya Brothel, with Takeno and Sasano (Waka sanjin ōgi awase, Matsubaya uchi Kisegawa, Takeno, Sasano)
  • Artist: Eishōsai Chōki (Japanese, active late 18th–early 19th century)
  • Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
  • Date: ca. 1796
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
  • Dimensions: Vertical chūban; 13 x 9 in. (33 x 22.9 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936
  • Object Number: JP2417
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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