Artwork

鳥文斎栄之画和歌三神図|Honoring the Three Gods of Poetry: Women Composing Poems

鳥文斎栄之画和歌三神図|Honoring the Three Gods of Poetry: Women Composing Poems is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Chôbunsai Eishi. It dates from 1792 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created circa 1792, this triptych of woodblock prints by Chōbunsai Eishi presents three interior scenes in which women are engaged in poetic activity. Rendered in ink and subtle colour on paper, each panel is framed by sliding doors that open onto a tranquil garden, linking the domestic interior with a calm natural landscape.

Subject & Meaning

The composition celebrates the traditional Japanese concept of the three poetic deities, portraying female figures in elegant attire as they write, read, or hold fans and scrolls. Their poised gestures and the presence of writing implements underscore the cultural esteem for literary refinement and the feminine role in cultivating poetry.

Technique & Style

Eishi employed the ukiyo‑e woodblock method, combining fine line work with delicate colour washes to delineate the women’s patterned kimonos and the surrounding architecture. The soft palette and careful delineation of folds and foliage reflect his training in the Kano school, while his characteristic emphasis on slender, graceful figures aligns with his bijin‑ga oeuvre.

History & Provenance

Born into a samurai family that provided a stipend of 500 koku, Eishi abandoned his official duties to pursue a career in printmaking, eventually gaining renown for his portraits of beautiful women. The triptych entered the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains part of the museum’s ukiyo‑e holdings.

Context

During the late eighteenth century, ukiyo‑e prints catered to a burgeoning urban audience interested in fashion, literature, and the pleasures of the pleasure quarters. Eishi’s work reflects this milieu, merging the aesthetic of courtly elegance with the popular genre of bijin‑ga, and illustrating the period’s fascination with poetic symbolism.

Artist & collection

Artist

Chôbunsai Eishi

Chōbunsai Eishi (鳥文斎栄之; 1756–1829) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist. His last name was Hosoda (細田). His first name was Tokitomi (時富). His common name was Taminosuke (民之丞) and later Yasaburo (弥三郎). Pupil of Kano Eisen'in…