Kibi no Kuni Muraji, by Yashima Gakutei

An image of Kibi no Kuni Muraji. Gakutei, Yashima (Japanese, 1786(?)-1868). Surimono. Colour print from woodblocks, with metallic pigment and burnishing from a block. Early 1820s. Poetry by Rikusekien Meshimochi, Kakuuntei (?) Chikamaru, Shorinken Takatake, Seizanro Kageo and Tojuen Nandara, circa 1820-circa 1823. Ukiyo-e. Notes: Kibi no Makibi (693-775) studied in China from 717 to 735, acting as a kind of cultural ambassador for the Empress Koken. She directed him to bring back from China the secrets of T’ang learning, and he supposedly returned with the art of embroidery, the game of Go, the musical instrument biwa, the Katakana syllabary, and various works on Confucianism and government. Whilst in China he was put through various trials in his attempt to learn the secrets of the Chinese calendar. The most famous was the test of ordering the jumbled characters of a classical inscription, a task in which he was helped by a friendly and learned spider. This print was commissioned by the Gogawa poetry group, whose emblem appears top right.

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Kibi no Kuni Muraji. Gakutei, Yashima (Japanese, 1786(?)-1868). Surimono. Colour print from woodblocks, with metallic pigment and burnishing from a block. Early 1820s. Poetry by Rikusekien Meshimochi, Kakuuntei (?) Chikamaru, Shorinken Takatake, Seizanro Kageo and Tojuen Nandara, circa 1820-circa 1823. Ukiyo-e. Notes: Kibi no Makibi (693-775) studied in China from 717 to 735, acting as a kind of cultural ambassador for the Empress Koken. She directed him to bring back from China the secrets of T’ang learning, and he supposedly returned with the art of embroidery, the game of Go, the musical instrument biwa, the Katakana syllabary, and various works on Confucianism and government. Whilst in China he was put through various trials in his attempt to learn the secrets of the Chinese calendar. The most famous was the test of ordering the jumbled characters of a classical inscription, a task in which he was helped by a friendly and learned spider. This print was commissioned by the Gogawa poetry group, whose emblem appears top right.

Image data

Accession Number: P.275-1937
Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Aperture: f/22.0
Focal length: 120
Camera: Hasselblad H4D-31
Photographer name: Sam Cole
Image height: 1025 pixels
Image width: 913 pixels
Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.0 (Windows)
Filesize: 847.51kB
Exposure time: 1/125
ISO Speed: 100
Fnumber: 22/1
Captured: 2017:07:24 10:02:35

Key words

19th Century ambassador burnished burnishing colour printing Edo Period Fitz_PDP Gakutei Japan Japanese Kibi no Makibi male metallic pigment pigment poem poetry poets print surimono ukiyo-e woodblock woodcut Yashima Gakutei

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            "Kibi no Kuni Muraji, by Yashima Gakutei"
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