Nojiri: Hirai Yasumasa Playing the Flute and Hakamadare Yasusuke Hiding with Drawn Sword Behind a Pine Tree (Station no. 41 from the series "The Sixty-Nine Stations along the Kisokaido")

Artist/Culture Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川国芳 (Japanese, 1797–1861)

Date1852

Mediumwoodblock print, ink and color on paper

ClassificationsPrints

Credit LineHarriet B. Bancroft Fund

Terms

Object number2006.340

DescriptionYoshitoshi’s teacher, Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861), was a prolific and popular designer of warrior imagery. Many print series catalogued the rest stations along the five major highways connecting the capital with the rest of Japan. The Kisokaidō road linked the cities of Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto, and like in many other series, Kuniyoshi paired historical events with landscape along the highway. Hakamadare and Yasumasa appear with the winding mountain road near the town of Nojiri. Hakamadare’s jacket is decorated with a design of the Buddha, in keeping with theatrical versions of the story. His hairstyle also is in the conventional style used for roguish characters.
Label TextYoshitoshi’s teacher, Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861), was a prolific and popular designer of warrior imagery. Many print series catalogued the rest stations along the five major highways connecting the capital with the rest of Japan. The Kisokaidō road linked the cities of Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto, and like in many other series, Kuniyoshi paired historical events with landscape along the highway. Hakamadare and Yasumasa appear with the winding mountain road near the town of Nojiri. Hakamadare’s jacket is decorated with a design of the Buddha, in keeping with theatrical versions of the story. His hairstyle also is in the conventional style used for roguish characters.ProvenanceJapan Print Gallery, London, UK

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