(Nishikizuri) Onna sanjū‑rokkasen (錦摺）三十六歌仙

FSC-GR-780.99.1–2

Commentary by Ann Yonemura

Posted November 2014

Following an ancient tradition of courtly competitions in the arts, thirty-six noblewomen matched in eighteen pairs appear here, each with a poem on the facing page. The imaginary teams are formed of renowned women who lived in different historical periods. The title, translated as “Thirty-six Immortal Women Poets,” recalls a tradition of identifying great poets in groups of thirty-six, a custom that began in the eleventh century with a selection by the poet and critic Fujiwara no Kintō (966–1041).

The title also includes the term nishikizuri, literally “brocade printed,” or printed in full color. Nishiki-e was the contemporary term for full-color prints, a recent innovation of Edo publishers. Printing such an elegant rendering of a famous subject associated with the imperial court in Kyoto brought modern technology to a level that rivaled the arts of the brush—calligraphy and painting. In fact, the small inscriptions in the margins identify the young female calligraphers, their places of residence, and their ages, which range from five to fifteen years old. All the calligraphy students were under the instruction of the renowned calligrapher Hanagata Yoshiakira. His purpose in displaying the fine work of his young female students must have been to encourage others to practice the art of writing.

The volume in the Pulverer collection is a fine impression with excellent color preservation. The volume appears to be complete and intact; it includes the illustration by Hokusai, which is occasionally separated from the volume. Moreover, the volume still has its original wrapper (fukuro) with an elegant pattern of butterflies against a yellow ground.

This printed book of classical poetry indicates the historical arts of the imperial court in Kyoto enjoyed continuing prestige in the contemporary and distinctly modern culture of Edo. The publisher Nishimuraya Yohachi, who later published Hokusai’s great landscape series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, took meticulous care in producing this work. He chose two outstanding professional artists—block cutters whose work is acknowledged in the colophon—and printers of consummate skill to create an aesthetic masterpiece that he might have hoped would rival the esteemed productions from art workshops in Kyoto.

Selected reading:

Andrew J. Pekarik, introduction, commentaries, and translations to The Thirty-Six Immortal Women Poets, by Hosoda Eishi (New York: George Braziller, 1991).

Roger Keyes, Ehon: The Artist and the Book in Japan (New York: New York Public Library, 2006).

Copies in other collections:

New York Public Library

[1] See Pekarik 1991 for a detailed description and reproduction of another impression in the New York Public Library. The NYPL example lacks a few pages, and the order of some elements may have been altered during a repair.

Nishikizuri onna sanjūrokkasen