The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of October 8, 2026

A vertically oriented woodblock print depicts two figures with light skin tones near a bamboo building. A seated figure in a striped robe and white head wrap operates a wooden device over a yellow tub. Beside them, a standing figure in a striped robe and red garment carries a large white vessel. Cursive script fills a white scalloped border at the top, and a wooden trellis stands in the background against a pale beige sky.

Sōjō Henjō

c. 1766

Suzuki Harunobu

(Japanese, 1724–1770)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
color woodblock print
The Kelvin Smith Collection, given by Ellen and Bruce Mavec 2026.47
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Sōjō is a rank in the Buddhist clergy of Japan and is often translated as “bishop.”

Description

Two young women are ginning cotton. One runs the machine that separates the seeds from the fibers, while the other stands by with a basket full of cotton. Above them is a poem written by a Japanese Buddhist monk. The poem turns on the image of the monk’s black hair being cut when he entered the priesthood, comparing it to the color of lily seeds. In the print, cotton seeds take their place.
  • A. Kelvin Smith [1899–1984] and Eleanor [Armstrong] Smith [1899–1998], Cleveland, OH, by descent to their daughter Cara Smith Stirn
    Cara Smith Stirn [1927–2017], Cleveland, OH, by descent to her daughter Ellen Stirn Mavec
    Ellen Stirn Mavec [b. 1959]
  • {{cite web|title=Sōjō Henjō|url=false|author=Suzuki Harunobu|year=c. 1766|access-date=08 October 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2026.47