Autumn Moon at Ishiyama

Maker(s)
Artist: Nishimura Shigenaga (1697?-1756)
Historical period(s)
Edo period, ca. 1720s
Medium
Ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 33.3 x 15.8 cm (13 1/8 x 6 1/4 in)
Geography
Japan
Credit Line
The Anne van Biema Collection
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S2004.3.8
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Print
Type

Woodblock print

Keywords
Anne van Biema collection, autumn, Edo period (1615 - 1868), hosoban, Japan, landscape, moon, temple, ukiyo-e
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

Among the earliest extant landscapes to appear in Japanese prints are illustrated series of Eight Views of Omi (Omi hakkei), which pair famous scenic views around Lake Biwa in Omi Province with Japanese poems. These were adapted from Chinese poems and paintings of Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers (Xiao-Xiang bajing). This hand-colored urushi-e comes from one of several early series of Eight Views of Omi. The poem reads:

Ishiyama!
the moonlight
that shines on the Bay of Niho
is none other than that
at both Suma and Akashi!

The beauty of Suma on Osaka Bay and Akashi on the Inland Sea was celebrated in Japanese poetry. Shigenaga's print adopts the viewpoint of the poem, looking out toward the lake from the Buddhist temple Ishiyamadera, which even today presents splendid views.

Translation of poem by Joshua S. Mostow

Published References
  • Ann Yonemura, et al. Masterful Illusions: Japanese Prints from the Anne van Biema Collection. Seattle and Washington. cat. 116, p. 286.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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