Japanese Print "Famous Places in the East: The Ancient story of Umewaka at the Sumida River" by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
Artist:Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
Title:Famous Places in the East: The Ancient story of Umewaka at the Sumida River
Date:July 1883
Details:More information...
Source:Worcester Art Museum
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Description:
In the Noh play Sumidagawa (named after a river that runs through Tokyo), a distraught noblewoman searches for her son who was kidnapped by slave traders, but only finds his grave. Depicting a moment just before his death, the beautiful youth raises his arm in defense as an armed man approaches. The moonlight illuminates the sky and the cherry blossoms, a trademark sight along the Sumida’s banks and symbols of fleeting beauty and ephemeral life. The unusual light effects, modeling, and depiction of the faces show that this work is from the Meiji period (1868–1912), recounting a historical event rather than a theatrical version on a stage.Label Text: In the Noh play Sumidagawa (named after a river that runs through Tokyo), a distraught noblewoman searches for her son who was kidnapped by slave traders, but only finds his grave. Depicting a moment just before his death, the beautiful youth raises his arm in defense as an armed man approaches. The moonlight illuminates the sky and the cherry blossoms, a trademark sight along the Sumida’s banks and symbols of fleeting beauty and ephemeral life. The unusual light effects, modeling, and depiction of the faces show that this work is from the Meiji period (1868–1912), recounting a historical event rather than a theatrical version on a stage.
