The Waterfall Where Yoshitsune Washed His Horse at Yoshino in Yamato Province (Washū Yoshino Yoshitsune uma arai no taki)
Artist
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
(Japanese, 1760–1849)
Dateabout 1833
Mediumwoodblock print; ink and color on paper
DimensionsVertical ōban: 37.8 x 25.4 cm (14 7/8 x 10 in.)
ClassificationsPrints
MarkingsCensor's seal: kiwame
Publisher's seal: Eijudo
Credit LineJohn Chandler Bancroft Collection
Terms
Object number1901.734
DescriptionIn the horse-washing waterfallLabel TextIn this print, Hokusai combines the meisho-e (“famous place pictures”) genre with an allusion to a historical subject: the tragic figure General Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159-1189), who was forced to leave his homeland after politically aligning himself with Emperor Go-Shirakawa during the Hogen rebellion (1156). According to legend, during his flight Yoshitsune stopped to rest and bathe his horse beneath a waterfall deep in the mountains of Yamato Province, in present-day Nara prefecture. Here, they are shown from a distance and seem to disappear into the landscape, the horse blending in with the red crags, and their bodies loosely conforming to the direction of the water streams. While such camouflaging is typical for this series, it also communicates Yoshitsune’s desperation to remain covert. ProvenanceJohn Chandler Bancroft [1835-1901], Boston, MA; 1901, by bequest to the Worcester Art Museum.
On View
Not on viewKatsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
about 1833
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
about 1833
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
about 1833
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
about 1833
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
about 1833
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
about 1833–34