Toyohiro 豊広: Surimono of Seven Flowers of Autumn for Moon Viewing Festival
Artist: Utagawa Toyohiro 豊広 (1773-1828)
Date: ca. 1815 Dimensions: 20.3 x 26.7 cm
Otsukimi is a Japanese festival honoring the autumn moon, typically celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. Traditions of Tsukimi include displays of susuki, silver pampas grass, as well as the presentation of special foods such as rice dumplings, whose shape echoes that of the round moon. Here, to the right of a single poem written with elegant calligraphy we see a beautiful arrangement of silver grass, along with several varieties of autumn flowers, arranged in vase in the form of a woven basket.
Toyohiro designed this surimono probably on the occasion of tsuki-ge in the fall, referring to a haiku at the Heian court. On the right we can see only a half of a beautiful kichô partition, a kind of privacy screen, which was used in mansions of court nobles to keep a lady’s privacy in a large room. For kichô, five katabira, thin layers silk cloth are sewed together and hang down onto the floor on T-form stand with two legs. Here we see a portion of the kicho, which is decorated with red cord ribbons and a yellow flat silk band for the next section of katabira. The katabira has the design of a flying phoenix, a messenger of peace and prosperity, in the air among the clouds. A phoenix often used for designs for the imperial family, such as for a robe for an empress. The phoenix’s ability to be reborn from the ashes represents the cycle of life and death and is considered a sign of hope and renewal.
The upper part of the kicho is in red, the center in golden yellow, and the bottom in purple. These three colors reflect the light of nature: red symbolizes the light of Amaterasu-ômikami, the morning sun; the golden yellow, the light of noon symbolizing youth and hope, and purple for gradual transformation into the darkness. Purple is designated as the color of the imperial family since Heian Period, since to gain purple dye a great amount of roots of Murasaki-gusa, purple gromwell plant was necessary.
dAlmost the center of the composition, a vase with the seven autumnal flowers: Chinese silver grass (susuki), golden lace (ominaeshi), thoroughwort (fujibakama), balloon flower (kikyô), bush clover (hagi), Japanese kudzu (kudzu), and fringed pink (nadeshiko). Both handles of the vase are decorated with red cords with tassels, same we see at kichô.
On the left a haiku poem by Zô?-maro explains the scene:
Musashino mo oku-mo hate-naku tsuki-ge no yoi
(むさし野も 奥も果てなく 月げ宵) 象？麿
Musashino, the wild fields that existed in present Tokyo and Saitama were famous for the moonlight shining on their endless expanse. Oku-mo hate-naku means that we do not see even the end of the deep field, probably referring to even a lady (oku-gata) at a court, who shows no sign of end and perhaps gives hope for something new.
Tsuki-ge means the moon of a night before the full moon. It also means the month of the new moon is approaching. Tsuki-ge-yoi is the word used to refer to the autumn in a poem
It is said that the name Zômaro象麿 was used by Heian poets, Kakinomoto-no-Hitomaro 柿本人麿and also by Sakanoue-no-Tamura-maro 坂上田村麿, a warrior.
Kakinomoto-no-Hitomaro served for Emperor Temmu (r. 673-686), Empress Jitô (r. 690-697) and Emperor Mommu (r. 697-707). If this poem is by Kakinomoto-no-Hitomaro, this poem is referring to the Empress Jitô and the person behind the kicho is empress Jitô持統天皇, who gave birth to six princes with Emperor Temmu. (With thanks to Michiko Sato-Grube for her research.)
Signature: Toyohiro ga 豊廣 画
Condition: Excellent impression and color; very good condition. With minor crease in center that is barely visible. With subtle blindprinting in the hanging tie.
SKU: SUR029