Kôso goichidai ryakuzu: Nichiren Walking Barefoot in the Snow
Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Description
Utagawa Kuniyoshi is best known to Western collectors for his dramatic renderings of legendary warriors, or for his humorous prints of cats. An exceptionally versatile and prolific artist, he also designed hundreds of landscape prints, offering serious competition to his contemporary, Hiroshige.
Here we have Kuniyoshi at his most lyrical. The tiny figure in red robes, struggling against the drifting snow, is the Buddhist monk Nichiren (1222–1282). An outspoken critic of church and state, he was forced to spend many years in exile on the island of Sado. Here even the forces of nature seem allied against him, as the cold wind whips through his cleric’s robes. The print is from a series illustrating Nichiren’s life
Exhibited in "Japanese Costumes & Ceramics, Past & Present," October 2001-February 2002. Maribeth Graybill, Senior Curator of Asian Art
Subject Matter:
The Label Copy details most of the subject matter.
Physical Description:
This print depicts a man walking through the snow with a mountainous coastal village in the background. The man is making his way uphill to the left and wears a red-orange coat as he passes a snowy tree. Everything is in a black and white gradient except for the man's coat and the ocean which is a blue gradient. On the left edge is an inscription with three seals. One of which is red and boxy, one appears to be a family seal, and one with characters inside.
Usage Rights:
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