Untitled

Kitagawa Utamaro

early 19th century · Right sheet of a triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

In this episode of The Tales of Ise, the indefatigable young hero of the amorous saga abducts another young girl. He takes her to Musashi Province, far east of the capital, and, pursued by the local authorities for his crime, he hides the girl in a field of tall flowering grass and escapes. In order to force him out of hiding, his pursuers begin to set fire to the field; then they hear the voice of the girl: Field of Musashi— Do not burn it down today! Like the young grasses here my lover crouching hides and I too lie in hiding. Although she believes her abductor to be in the field with her, according to the text he has already fled and left her behind. The cute, rounded, childlike faces, which are typical of Harunobu's figures, further contribute to the strong sense of pathos in the couple threatened by the torches brandished against the night sky in the upper right corner.

Artist

Kitagawa Utamaro

Date

early 19th century

Medium

Right sheet of a triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936