The Red Gate at Imperial University (Kokuho Teikoku Akamon)
Artist/Culture
Koizumi Kishio
Printer
Koizumi Kishio
DateDecember 1936
Mediumwoodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions27.8 x 37.6 cm
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineHarriet B. Bancroft Fund
Object number1996.42
DescriptionThis exquisite snow scene is of the Akamon (red gate), a remnant of the Maeda family estate in Hong5, which in the middle of the Meiji period, became Imperial University (today Tokyo University). It had been specially designed and painted red-a color not generally permitted for daimyd gates-to receive the shogun Tokugawa Ienari's daughter when she became the bride of the eldest son and heir of the Maeda family in 1827. It is surprising that the university kept this Edo-period gate, which had been designated for use by the high-born. A new and more convenient gate was added that was used for ceremonial occasions. Nevertheless, the Red Gate came to symbolize the elite university itself in the Meiji era, and so it has remained. .One can scarcely make out the umbrella-carrying people walking in this heavy snowstorm, but the Akamon's red color, tile roof, and gabled gatehouses make it immediately identifiable. The artist both carved the block and printed the image. He depicts this snowy day by overprinting white upon white and by blowing white pigment through a small tube at the surface of the paper.
ProvenanceMerlin Dailey, Victor, NY
On View
Not on view
