Artwork

百人一首藤原元真|Poem by Fujiwara no Motozane (ca. 860) from the Series Thirty-Six Poets

百人一首藤原元真|Poem by Fujiwara no Motozane (ca. 860) from the Series Thirty-Six Poets is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Suzuki Harunobu. It dates from 1768 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Suzuki Harunobu’s woodblock print, created around 1768, depicts a scene drawn from the classic poem by Fujiwara no Motozane, a poet of the mid‑9th century. The work belongs to Harunobu’s series illustrating the Thirty‑Six Poets, a popular subject for ukiyo‑e prints in the Edo period. It is part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Subject & Meaning

The image presents a woman in a striped kimono, holding a fan in one hand and a pole topped with a bucket in the other, while a child kneels beside her. A leafless tree and a low fence frame the figures, and a small bird rests on the ground to the left. The composition evokes the gentle domestic atmosphere suggested by Motozane’s poem, though the exact text is not reproduced on the print.

Technique & Style

Harunobu employed the karazuri method, embossing raised lines into the paper to suggest shading without additional ink. This tactile technique, combined with delicate ink outlines and subtle color washes, creates a soft, atmospheric effect characteristic of his later ukiyo‑e prints. The use of cross‑hatching within the raised areas further refines the sense of depth and texture.

History & Provenance

The print was produced in the late 1760s, a period when Harunobu was pioneering multicolor woodblock processes. It later entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is catalogued as part of the museum’s Japanese prints holdings. The work has been documented in the museum’s records since its acquisition, though the exact date of purchase is not publicly noted.

Context

The Thirty‑Six Poets series celebrated the canonical anthology of classical Japanese poetry, linking Edo‑period visual culture with Heian‑era literary tradition. Harunobu’s interpretation reflects the period’s fascination with refined courtly themes, rendered in a style that appealed to the emerging urban middle class.