Iris and Moorhen (Late Spring), number 23 from Rakuzan Kachou Gafu (100 Series)
Rakusan Tsuchiya (Rakuzan), Japanese, 1896 - 1976
about 1930
Woodblock print on paper
Mount: 17 3/4 × 21 1/2 in. (45.1 × 54.6 cm)
Image: 13 1/8 × 18 5/8 in. (33.3 × 47.3 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College
2015.42.7
Geography
Place Made: Japan, East Asia, Asia
Period
20th century
Object Name
Research Area
Not on view
Label
In this print, Tsuchiya Rakusan captures the figurative details of the irises through close observation of the petals’ shape and subtle gradation of blue. By including a black moorhen, the artist completes a tranquil and harmonious natural scene. The blue iris has significant cultural weight in Japan as both a symbol of the healthy growth of young boys and an emblem of samurai bravery—its sword-like leaves are believed to ward off evil spirits. In Japanese literature, the sight of blue irises inspires both nostalgia and love.
Title
かきつばたに黒鷭 (晩春)
[Kakitsubata ni kuroban (banshun)]
Iris and moorhen (late spring)
Artist signature
楽山居
[Raku-zan kyo]
From the 2024 exhibition Attitude of Coexistence: Non-Humans in East Asian Art, curated by Haely Chang, Jane and Raphael Bernstein Associate Curator of East Asian Art
Exhibition History
Attitude of Coexistence: Non-humans in East Asian Art, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 5-June 29, 2025.
Provenance
Found in collection; catalogued, 2015.
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