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The Poet Toru Daijin Contemplating a Landscape with a Crescent Moon, from the series A True Mirror of the Imagery of Chinese and Japanese Poets
The Poet Toru Daijin Contemplating a Landscape with a Crescent Moon, from the series A True Mirror of the Imagery of Chinese and Japanese Poets

The Poet Toru Daijin Contemplating a Landscape with a Crescent Moon, from the series A True Mirror of the Imagery of Chinese and Japanese Poets

Artist/Maker (Japanese, 1760–1849)
Publisher
Date1833–34
MediumColor woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
DimensionsVertical nagaōban; overall: 20 3/16 × 9 1/16 in. (51.3 × 23 cm)
Credit LineMary A. Ainsworth Bequest
PortfolioA True Mirror of the Imagery of Chinese and Japanese Poets (Shika shashinkyo)
Object number1950.739
Status
Not on view
More Information
This print references the Heian period poet Minamoto no Tōru 源融 (822–895). He was an imperial prince but gave up his status and became a nobleman of the Minamoto clan and later a court official. He is sometimes referred to by his title as Tōru Daijin 大臣.

This print does not illustrate a poem, but a story about Tōru. In his Kyoto garden, Tōru created a replica of Shiogama, a famous scenic spot in northern Japan. Shiogama is an example of an utamakura 歌枕, or poem pillow. These were place names and other words used in poetry as a shorthand to allude to a set meanings and associations. The imagery here, particularly the thin crescent moon and sleeping birds in the foreground, comes from a nō theater song titled Tōru, by Zeami.
Exhibition History
Ukiyo-e Prints from the Mary Ainsworth Collection
  • Chiba City Museum of Art, Chiba, Japan (April 13, 2019 - May 25, 2019 )
  • Shizuoka City Museum of Art, Shizuoka, Japan (June 8, 2019 - July 28, 2019 )
  • Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, Osaka, Japan (August 10, 2019 - September 29, 2019 )
Ukiyo-e Prints from the Mary Ainsworth Collection
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (January 14, 2020 - December 6, 2020 )
Collections
  • Asian
This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator. Noticed a mistake? Have some extra information about this object? Please contact us.
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