Accession Number1948/1.165
TitleA young woman carrying a basket of eggplants, with Mt Fuji in the background
Artist(s)Isoda KoryūsaiObject Creation Date1764-1788Medium & Supportcolor woodblock print on paper, pillar printDimensions 25 15/16 in x 4 9/16 in (65.88 cm x 11.59 cm)
Credit LineBequest of Margaret Watson ParkerLabel copyThis print is half of a famous pair of images made for celebrating the New Year. A young woman in a fashionable plaid kimono is shown walking along with one hand coyly placed at her cheek, while in the other hand she carries a basket of the delicious round eggplants of Suruga province. Mt. Fuji, a hawk, and and eggplants are considered the "three auspicious emblems" for New Year's Day, because of a punning phrase: hatsu yume fujitaka nasu, which can be rendered as "May the first dream of the new year (hatsu yume) be (nasu) of unsurpassed greatness (fujitaka).
The tall narrow format is typical of the so-called pillar print (Japanese, hashira-e): these prints were often tacked or pasted to walls, and so rarely survive in good condition. This particular example is quite dark from overexposure to light in the past.
M. Graybill, Senior Curator of Asian Art
June 2006
Primary Object Classification Print Primary Object Typecolor printCollection AreaAsianRightsIf you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit
http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Keywords
ukiyo e