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Tenji Tenno (The Emperor Tenji), first poet in the series One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets Explained by the Nurse

A work made of color woodblock print; yoko oban.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of color woodblock print; yoko oban.

Date:

c. 1835/36

Artist:

Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
Japanese, 1760-1849
Publisher: Hibino Yohachi
Japanese, unknown

About this artwork

Emperor Tenji (628–681) reigned from 668 to 671, during which he established Japan’s first code of civil law. This scene is based on the story that while the emperor was traveling in the countryside, a sudden shower forced him to take shelter in a flimsy, temporary hut in a rice field. His poem expresses his sympathy for his subjects who must work and endure every day under such conditions.

Course the rush-mat roof
Sheltering the harvest hut
Of the autumn rice field—
And my sleeves are growing wet
With the moisture dripping through.
(Translated by Clay MacCauley)

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Asia

Artist

Katsushika Hokusai

Title

Tenji Tenno (The Emperor Tenji), first poet in the series One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets Explained by the Nurse

Place

Japan (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1830–1841

Medium

Color woodblock print; yoko oban

Dimensions

26.2 × 37.7 cm (10 3/8 × 14 7/8 in.)

Credit Line

Clarence Buckingham Collection

Reference Number

1928.1088

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/89508/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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