Tatohe uta|Analogy

Katsukawa Shunshō　勝川春章

late 18th century · Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper · Asian Art

The beauty of Shunshō's print gathers further elegance from two layers of poetic devices—a visual allustion to the imagery in a poem describing a love "as infinite as the shells upon the shore" and the analogy itself, discussed at length in the preface to the Kokin waka shū. The passage from the preface is quoted in the cloud at the top of the print. The subtle play of meaning between the collecting of shells and the collecting of poetry—a box of shells becomes a visual metaphor for an anthology of poetry—is particularly pleasing.

Artist

Katsukawa Shunshō　勝川春章

Date

late 18th century

Medium

Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Henry L. Phillips Collection, Bequest of Henry L. Phillips, 1939