Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III)

1786-1865

A Pictorial Commentary on One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets: no. 48, Egyo Hoshi
(Hyakunin isshu esho: Egyo Hoshi)

signed Kochoro Toyokuni ga with red Toshidama seal, numbered print 48 in the series in the pink placard-shaped cartouche, published by Sanoya Kihei, ca. 1845

oban tate-e 14 1/4 by 10 in., 36.2 by 25.4 cm

After issuing the 37th design in this series of 100 poet prints, Kunisada changed the framework of the compositions by eliminating the series title and replacing the poem cards with a cartouche in the shape of an open book illustrating the featured poet and poem, and for the next ten prints the design number in the series was indicated by a small cartouche in the shape of a wooden placard decorated with a tassle. He reverts to the original format only on design number 47, before returning to the open book cartouche for this print, number 48, and the remainder of the series. The changes to the format may be responsible for some confusion that led to the numbering of the prints sometimes falling out of sequence with the numbering of the poems in the Hyakunin isshu. Although this is identified as print number 48 in the series, the portrait on this print is of the Egyo (or Ekei) Hoshi accompanied by his poem number 47 in the Hyakunin isshu.

Yahe mugura
shigereru yado no
sabishiki ni
hito koso miene
aki ha kinikeri

To the lonely house
where the wees, eight-layers deep,
have grown rank,
not a soul can be seen--
but autumn, at least, has come

Reference:
Joshua S. Mostow, The Hundred Poets Compared, 2007, p. 128, no. 47 (poem translation)
(inv. no. 10-5244)

price: $950