Kishū, Moon over the Hidaka River, Kiyohime

Series TitleSnow, Moon, Flowers (Setsugekka: Kishū, hidakagawa no tsuki kiyohime)

Artist Toyohara Chikanobu (Japanese, 1838 - 1912)

Date1885

MediumWoodblock print

DimensionsOverall: 14 3/8 × 9 5/8 inches (36.51 × 24.45 cm)

Credit LineGift of Carol Shankel

Object number2016.29.1

SignedSigned "Yōshū Chikanobu hitsu (drawn by Yōshū Chikanobu) 揚洲周延筆" in the cartouche at the bottom right.

InscribedSetsugekka Kishū Hidakagawa no tsuki Kiyohime: 雪月花　紀州　日高川の月　起与飛裳 The boxes on the bottom left indicate the publisher, printer and publishing date: published by Kobayashi Tetsujirō; printed by Hashimoto Naoyoshi; and published on March 11th of Meiji 18.

On View

Not on view

Collections

East Asian Art

Terms

DescriptionThis is a print from the series Snow, Moon, and Flowers, in which Yōshū Chikanobu derived narratives from famous figures, plays, and legends. This print depicts a scene from the Kabuki play Musume Dōjōji. According to the play, the maiden Kiyohime had fallen in love with a celibate monk of the Buddhist temple Dōjōji. Burning passion turned her into a serpent as she desired to cross the flooded Hidaka River in order to see the monk at the dedication ceremony of a temple bell. She then turned herself back into a young maiden as it is depicted here. Her desperate desire to see the monk is communicated through her pose – she is leaning forward as she grabs her jumbled hair with her left hand. Although she is in the form of young maiden, the triangle patterns on her costume referring to the markings on a serpant imply her true self. The inset on the top left gives a glimpse of the climax of the play: Kiyohime wraps herself around the temple bell, turns it burning hot, and kills the beloved monk who had hidden himself under the bell.

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