The Six Immortals of Poetry, Abbreviated

Arts of Asia

c. 1795

Chokosai Eisho
Japanese, active 1793-1799
Publisher: Yamaguchi-Ya
Japanese, unknown

In this triptych print, the artist expressed appreciation for fine poems of the past by associating them with the three current leading, and possibly most beautiful, courtesans in the Yoshiwara pleasure district. Each of the three panels shows a courtesan with her male guest. In the background are six poems, one by each Immortal. These are inscribed over the style of decorative pattern found on cards used for writing poems. At the right is Narihira’s most famous love poem. A work by Ono no Komachi is on the left.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of Asia

Artist: Chokosai Eisho
Title: The Six Immortals of Poetry, Abbreviated
Place: Japan (Artist's nationality)
Date: 1790–1800
Medium: Color woodblock print; oban triptych
Dimensions: 36 × 75.1 cm (14 3/16 × 29 5/8 in.)
Credit Line: Clarence Buckingham collection
Reference Number: 1935.446
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