About This Print
One of thirty-six prints in the series Sanjūroku kasen (also transcribed as Sanjūroku kurabe) depicting delivery of a love poem to a beautiful woman dressed in Genroku Era (1688-1704) kimono with her hair in the loose style of the period. The bearer of the poem may be the woman's lover, thinly disguised with a scarf about his face, or a messenger from her lover.The Series Thirty-six Elegant Selections (Sanjuroku kasen)
The series presents women of different classes from thirty-five different historical eras. The eras represented are Jōdai ("ancient times" through the Nara Period of 794), Kenkyū [1190-99], Genkō [1331-34], Bunnan [1444-49], Hōtoku [1449-52], Kōshō [1455-57], Ōnin [1467-69], Keichō[1596-1615], Genna [1615-24], Kan'ei [1624-44], Shōhō [1644-48], Keian [1648-52], Jōō [1652-55], Meireki [1655-58], Manji [1658-61], Kanbun [1661-73], Enpō [1673-81], Tenna [1681-84], Jōkyō[1684-88], Genroku [1688-1704], Hōei [1704-11], Shōtokua [1711-16], Kyōhō [1716-36], Kanpō [1741-44], Enkyō [1744-48], Kan'en [1748-51], Hōreki [1751-64], Meiwa [1764-72], An'ei [1772-81], Tenmei [1781-89], Kansei [1789-1801], Bunka [1804-1818], Bunsei [1818-30], Kōka [1844-48] and Bunkyū [1861-64].
Print Details
| IHL Catalog | #995 |
| Title or Description | Kesōbumi Genroku koro fujin 懸想文 元禄頃婦人 (New Year Charm in the Shape of a Love Letter: Woman of the Genroku Era ) |
| Series | Sanjūroku kasen (also seen as "Sanjūroku i kurabe"1) 三十六佳撰 (Thirty-six Elegant Selections; also seen translated as Thirty-six Beauties Compared) |
| Artist | Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) |
| Signature |  |
| Seal | Toshikata seal (shown above) |
| Publication Date | 明治25（1892） |
| Publisher | Akiyama Buemon (秋山 武右衛門) in left margin |
| Printer | |
| Impression | excellent |
| Colors | excellent |
| Condition | fair - Japanese album backing paper; soiling and toning; several wormholes in margins repaired from back; unbacked; untrimmed |
| Genre | ukiyo-e, bijin-ga |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Format | vertical oban |
| H x W Paper | 14 1/2 x 9 7/8 in. (36.8 x 24.1 cm) |
| H x W Image | 12 3/4 x 8 3/4 in. (32.4 x 21.6 cm) |
| Literature | |
| Collections This Print | Tokyo Metropolitan Library 07537-C1 and 加4762-18; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston RES.52.30 and 41.940.17; British Museum 1906,1220,0.1569 |
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