The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 12, 2024

Poem by Minamoto no Muneyuki from the series One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets Explained by the Nurse

Poem by Minamoto no Muneyuki from the series One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets Explained by the Nurse

1835–36
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This impression of Hokusai's print has a fold along its center, indicating that it may have once been placed in an album of the book format.

Description

This print by Katsushika Hokusai is inscribed with a melancholy poem by Minamoto no Muneyuki (died 939) on the upper right.

In the mountain village,
it is in winter that my loneliness
increases most,
when I think how both have dried up,
the grasses and people’s visits.

The mood of the hunters, however, contrasts with the poem. They appear to be merrily recounting stories of their hunting success while warming their hands around a roaring blaze. A long day in the winter cold has not dampened their spirits. With the bonfire, their straw winter gear, and the shelter of the hut at the right, they will enjoy both warmth and companionship this winter’s night.
  • (R. E. Lewis, Inc., California, sold to Mr. and Mrs. Kelvin Smith)
    ?–1985
    The Kelvin Smith Collection, Cleveland, OH, given by Mrs. Kelvin [Eleanor Armstrong] Smith [1899–1998] to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1985–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Morse, Peter, Hokusai Katsushika, and Clay MacCauley. Hokusai, One Hundred Poets. New York: G. Braziller, 1989. Reproduced: pp. 76-77, cat. no. 28
  • Japanese Gallery 235 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (March 26-July 9, 2018).
    A Private World: Japanese and Chinese Art from the Kelvin Smith Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 14-November 13, 1988).
  • {{cite web|title=Poem by Minamoto no Muneyuki from the series One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets Explained by the Nurse|url=false|author=Katsushika Hokusai|year=1835–36|access-date=12 December 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1985.327