Ono no Komachi, from the series A Collection of Fashionable Beauties of Japan (Wakoku bijin ryaku shu)

1776·Color woodblock print; chuban·26.6 × 19.1 cm (10 1/2 × 7 9/16 in.)

A beautiful young woman fixes her hairstyle in the mirror, while an older woman’s thoughts are expressed in the poem above: If only I could grow old without changing my appearance, I would not mind the limit of my life. (Translation by Chie Hirano) Ono no Komachi often lamented the inevitability of aging in her poems, and her story is closely associated with the idea of fleeting beauty. The cherry blossoms in the vase on the veranda symbolize impermanence due to their short lifespans, reinforcing the notion that exquisiteness is not everlasting.

Catalogue

Year: 1776
Medium: Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions: 26.6 × 19.1 cm (10 1/2 × 7 9/16 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Torii Kiyonaga

Artist

Torii Kiyonaga

Installation

Torii Kiyonaga was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Torii school. Originally Sekiguchi Shinsuke, the son of an Edo bookseller, from Motozaimokuchō Itchōme in Edo, he took on Torii Kiyonaga as an art name. Although not biologically related to the Torii family, he became head of the group after the death of his adoptive father and teacher Torii Kiyomitsu.

Japan

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