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Winter Poem Collection of 1864
Winter Poem Collection of 1864
Winter Poem Collection of 1864

Winter Poem Collection of 1864

Maker (Japanese)
Date1864
MediumHaikai ichimaizuri surimono (deluxe color woodblock), ink and color on paper
DimensionsSheet: 16 9/16 x 21 7/8 in. (42.1 x 55.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of Brooks McCormick Jr.
Object number2005.45
Object TypePrints
On View
Not on view
This print displays the results of a haiku poetry club, largely composed of members from Osaka, in action. Each contributor has inscribed his personal poetry name and, in some cases, his city next to their poem. The year of the competition is written out to the extreme left, together with the season. The head of the group, who was named Hörai, has not been identified. The central image is a tall cultured yellow chrysanthemum in a bamboo vase, a motif which stands for the winter season of the competition. Placing the chrysanthemum in the middle of the composition, the artist successfully breaks up the monotony of the visual density of the many poems, and echoes the verticality of the calligraphy lines of the individual entries. The flower also played a key role in the competition. The poem written inside the bamboo vase, by a certain Iroku, is placed next to a title announcing, "praise the remarkable yellow flower," which is the title of the winning entry.