Three Japanese Masters of the Brush (Nihon sanpitsu)
Artist
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
(Japanese, 1760–1849)
Dateabout 1800
Mediumwoodblock print; surimono; ink, color, and metallic pigment on paper
Dimensions20.6 x 26.8 cm (8 1/8 x 10 9/16 in.)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineJohn Chandler Bancroft Collection
Terms
Object number1901.59.1879
Label TextThree Edo Period courtesans portray the sanpitsu (the three greatest calligraphers) of the early ninth century (the Buddhist priest Kukai, Emperor Saga and the courtier Tachibana no Hayanari) in this parody. The comic poem refers irreverently to the calligraphers, who grind ink, write a poem on a fan and brush powerful characters on a folding screen.On View
Not on viewCollections
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
about 1890