Nichiren in Snow at Tsukahara, Sodo Province
Original title: Nichiren in Snow at Tsukahara, Sodo Province
kurzbeschreibung
Utagawa Kuniyoshi's colour woodblock print of around 1840 places the Buddhist monk Nichiren in a snow-covered landscape. Printed with ink and colour on paper, the sheet measures 22.5 by 34.5 centimetres. Portrait, landscape and snowfall are brought together in a single horizontal format.
Description
A man in traditional Japanese dress stands at the front beside a snow-laden tree, wearing a red coat and a white cap. Behind him rises a snowy hill with several houses whose roofs are covered in shingles. The view ends at the coast, where the sea is held in shades of blue. Small white dots are scattered across the sky, standing for falling snow. The layout stretches horizontally, and the palette of greys, whites and blues is broken by the red accent of the coat.
Context
Kuniyoshi made this print in the late Edo period, when the ukiyo-e woodblock reached wide popularity. Nichiren, a thirteenth-century Buddhist monk, was venerated in many places in nineteenth-century Japan. Kuniyoshi often placed historical religious leaders in snowy settings. The sheet belongs to a series of scenes from Nichiren's life.
Impact
The monk's bright red coat sets a counterpoint to the severe winter landscape and lends the image a meditative calm. Fine dots of snow and the quiet coastline create a still, almost contemplative atmosphere. A clear horizontal structure gives the viewer a calm, orderly way through the picture.
Technique
Woodblock printing, with ink and colour on paper. Sharp contours and clear colour contrasts define the sheet and are typical of nineteenth-century Japanese woodblock technique. The areas of colour are set precisely apart from one another, which strengthens the graphic effect.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)