Description
Once the center print of a triptych (a composition of three prints), this design shows Ichimura Uzaemon IX playing Takeda Harunobu (1521–1573), a storied general who received the name Shingen upon taking Buddhist vows. In the story, Shingen attempts to cut off his enemy’s water supply, using a spell to imprison the dragon god who controlled it. However, a young woman named Sakura-hime gets him drunk. While he is indisposed, she and her lover release the dragon, whereupon it rains. Here, Shingen, in Buddhist robes, grips his string of prayer beads between his teeth.
Provenance
Minamoto; William S. Spaulding [1865–1937] and John T. Spaulding [1870–1948], Boston, MA (?–1921); (American Art Association, November 16, 1921 sale, lot 67) (November 16, 1921); (Yamanaka & Co., sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (1921); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1921–)
Ichimura Uzaemon IX as Shingen in “A String of Prayer Beads Shaken at a Ribbon of Waterfall”
1775
Accession Number
1921.1270
Medium
color woodblock print
Dimensions
Sheet: 33.4 x 15 cm (13 1/8 x 5 7/8 in.)
Classification
Credit Line
Gift from J. H. Wade
