A female musician playing a flute at a cherry blossom viewing party, by Yashima Gakutei

An image of Surimono pentaptych. Gakutei, Yashima (Japanese printmaker, 1786(?)-1868). Colour print from woodblocks, with metallic pigment and blind embossing, circa 1827-circa 1829. Poetry by Ikkokutei Senkin, Hisakataya, Kamenoya Osamaru, Gachoan Michitane, Suihotei Komatsu, Seikaitei Kamendo and Hanamitei Tokiwa. Ukiyo-e. Notes: This pentaptych, which is very rare as a complete set, was commissioned by the Hisakataya poetry group. The five musicians, dressed in virtually identical kimono and obi (sash) are playing (from the right) a drum, koto (zither), biwa (lute), sho (chinese pipes) and flute. In the background is stretched a decorative curtain to protect the blossom-viewers’s privacy. Blossom is falling onto the red carpet on which the musicians kneel. The poems read: ‘Poem slips dance in the wind with the music beneath the cherry trees in the hills of Yoshino.’ (Gachoan Michitane); ‘Spring wind sweeps away two or three cherry blossoms from the carpet as the lute plays.’ (Hisakataya); ‘In a cloud of flowers on a spring field: a flute, a drum, a zither, dandelions and horsetails.’ (Kamenoya Osamaru); ‘The cold strains of the jewelled zither turn into a storm and drive the snow of fallen flowers into the hands beneath the tree.’ (Hisakataya); ‘The drumsticks see the cherry blossoms: one piece of their music takes away the drunkenness of the flower-viewing wine.’ (Ikkokutei Senkin); ‘Two butterflies, awakened from their sleep by the music of the flowers play on a spring day.’ (Hisakataya).

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Surimono pentaptych. Gakutei, Yashima (Japanese printmaker, 1786(?)-1868). Colour print from woodblocks, with metallic pigment and blind embossing, circa 1827-circa 1829. Poetry by Ikkokutei Senkin, Hisakataya, Kamenoya Osamaru, Gachoan Michitane, Suihotei Komatsu, Seikaitei Kamendo and Hanamitei Tokiwa. Ukiyo-e. Notes: This pentaptych, which is very rare as a complete set, was commissioned by the Hisakataya poetry group. The five musicians, dressed in virtually identical kimono and obi (sash) are playing (from the right) a drum, koto (zither), biwa (lute), sho (chinese pipes) and flute. In the background is stretched a decorative curtain to protect the blossom-viewers’s privacy. Blossom is falling onto the red carpet on which the musicians kneel. The poems read: ‘Poem slips dance in the wind with the music beneath the cherry trees in the hills of Yoshino.’ (Gachoan Michitane); ‘Spring wind sweeps away two or three cherry blossoms from the carpet as the lute plays.’ (Hisakataya); ‘In a cloud of flowers on a spring field: a flute, a drum, a zither, dandelions and horsetails.’ (Kamenoya Osamaru); ‘The cold strains of the jewelled zither turn into a storm and drive the snow of fallen flowers into the hands beneath the tree.’ (Hisakataya); ‘The drumsticks see the cherry blossoms: one piece of their music takes away the drunkenness of the flower-viewing wine.’ (Ikkokutei Senkin); ‘Two butterflies, awakened from their sleep by the music of the flowers play on a spring day.’ (Hisakataya).

Image data

Accession Number: P.339-1937
Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Aperture: f/22.0
Focal length: 120
Camera: Hasselblad H4D-31
Photographer name: Katie Young
Image height: 1025 pixels
Image width: 914 pixels
Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.0 (Windows)
Filesize: 1.01MB
Exposure time: 1/60
ISO Speed: 100
Fnumber: 22/1
Captured: 2015:12:16 11:33:04

Key words

19th Century blind embossing blossom cherry blossom colour printing costume drummer drumming drums embossed fashion fashionable female Fitz_PDP flautist flute Gakutei hair hairstyle Japanese karazuri kimono music musical instruments musician obi party pentaptych playing playing an instrument poem poetry poets print sash seated sitting surimono tree blossom ukiyo-e woman woodblock woodcut Yashima Gakutei

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            The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024)
            "A female musician playing a flute at a cherry blossom viewing party, by Yashima Gakutei"
            Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/image/media-647759903 Accessed: 2024-11-16 18:33:51

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            |title=A female musician playing a flute at a cherry blossom viewing party, by Yashima Gakutei
            |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-16 18:33:51|publisher=The
            University of Cambridge}}

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