A Young Couple in an Up-to-Date Reworking of Narihira’s Journey to the East
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Harunobu excelled at elegant reworkings (mitate-e), or “parody pictures” of moments from ancient East Asian literature and lore. His youthful men and women always wear the latest contemporary fashion, yet the poses and settings immediately evoke famous scenes. Here, for instance, anyone familiar with illustrations associated with the Tales of Ise, the tenth-century Japanese literary classic, would immediately recall the episode when the protagonist, Ariwara no Narihira, is traveling to the Eastern provinces and stops by Suruga Bay to gaze at Mount Fuji in the distance. In this playful version, Harunobu has substituted a young woman for the courtier on horseback and a wakashu (male youth) for his retainer.
Artwork Details
- 鈴木春信画 風流やつし業平東下り
- Title: A Young Couple in an Up-to-Date Reworking of Narihira’s Journey to the East
- Artist: Suzuki Harunobu (Japanese, 1725–1770)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: 1767–68
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper; vertical chūban
- Dimensions: Image: 11 1/4 × 8 3/8 in. (28.6 × 21.3 cm)
Frame: 14 9/16 × 11 11/16 in. (37 × 29.7 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Lent by Lee E. Dirks
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art