Hokusai and Kuniyoshi: A Rivalry of Rivals

2023/05/15

Keio University holds a collection of ukiyo-e prints gathered by Sei'ichiro Takahashi (1884-1982), who taught for many years as an economist and held various important positions. From this collection, known as the "Sei'ichiro Takahashi Ukiyo-e Collection" and renowned for both its quality and quantity, we introduce works themed around palanquins (kago) by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) and Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861), rivals in the ukiyo-e world who each developed unique and artistic expressions.

Hokusai's "One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets, Explained by the Nurse" was produced around the 6th or 7th year of the Tenpo era (1835–36) following the success of "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji." It is an extremely elaborate series characterized by its many colors and luxurious printing. The title "Explained by the Nurse" (Uba ga etoki) refers to a nurse explaining the meaning of the poems to a child in an easy-to-understand way; such series explaining the One Hundred Poems were projects that met the demands of the time. In "Fujiwara no Michinobu Ason," the meaning of the poem "Though I know that when the dawn comes, the sun will set again, yet how I loathe the break of day" is reinterpreted through the customs of the Edo period: a merchant returning from the Yoshiwara pleasure district hurries back to his place of work in the early morning. The sense of speed is emphasized, highlighting how the physical distance from the courtesan rapidly increases, contrary to the feelings of the man inside the palanquin. On the other hand, Kuniyoshi's "From One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets: Oe no Chisato" expresses the meaning of the poem "When I look at the moon, my heart is filled with a thousand different sorrows, though the autumn is not for me alone" through an everyday scene. A palanquin bearer, carrying an empty palanquin after delivering a customer, pauses to look up at the full moon shining in the night sky. The depiction of moonlight, learned from Western prints, and details such as a crouching cat (or dog) add a sense of reality to the scene.

Hokusai established the new genre of landscape painting (then known as meisho-e) in ukiyo-e. Kuniyoshi excelled at warrior prints and skillfully incorporated the social conditions of the time into narrative and landscape paintings. While each had their own specialties, comparing them through the same subject reveals the sharpness of Hokusai's sense of form and the brilliance of Kuniyoshi's perspective in capturing the lives of Edo commoners. Numerous works showcasing the distinct personalities of Hokusai and Kuniyoshi can be seen from May 15 to July 15 at the Keio Museum Commons exhibition "Hokusai and Kuniyoshi: Extraordinary!"

(Fumi Matsutani, Keio Museum Commons)