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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2010.552
People
Kobayashi Kiyochika 小林清親, Japanese (Edo 1847 - 1915)
Published by Hara Taneaki 原胤昭
Title
Taira no Tadamori Captures the Priest of Midō Temple
Other Titles
Original Language Title: 平忠盛御堂法師を捕る図
Classification
Prints
Work Type
print
Date
1877 (Meiji 10)
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, Japan
Period
Meiji era, 1868-1912
Culture
Japanese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/336970

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Woodblock-print (nishiki-e) triptych; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
vertical ōban triptych: H. 36.8 cm x W. 73 cm (14 1/2 x 28 3/4 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
[Israel Goldman--Japanese Prints, London, (1995-2000)] sold; to Dr. and Mrs. Neil Swinton, Newton, Mass., 2000, gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2010.

NOTE: Created in Japan in the fourth quarter of the 19th century (i.e., 1883-84). In three successive London collections from the early twentieth century until its acquisition by Israel Goldman (i.e., Israel Goldman--Japanese Prints, London) in 1995.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Elizabeth and Neil Swinton in honor of Sylvan Barnet and William Burto
Accession Year
2010
Object Number
2010.552
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
This woodblock printed triptych by Kobayashi Kiyochika illustrates a famous rainy-night encounter between the warrior Taira no Tadamori (1096-1153) and an old priest on the grounds of Midō Temple in Kyoto. The tripartite scene may be "read" from right to left. The first print (at the far right) depicts a scene of sturdy tree trunks in a mist-enshrouded grove juxtaposed with a row of Buddhist stone lanterns that recede into the distance; the faint light emitted by the lanterns reflects brightly against dark, watery puddles on the ground. The center panel of the triptych focuses on a figure of an old man, hunched over and holding a small torch and oil pot as he makes his way through the cluster of trees. The man's pale, bony legs, ragged clothes, wrinkled face, and eccentric headdress made of straw give him a startling, almost ghoulish appearance. The third print (at the far left) portrays a heroic warrior in informal garb, standing at attention between two lanterns, his gaze fixed squarely on the strange figure approaching him, his hands poised as if ready to snatch his swords from their scabbards at any moment. Although each of the three individual prints bears a composition that can easily stand alone, when placed together they create a panoramic scene that dramatically conveys a narrative based on an episode in the life of Taira no Tadamori. A prominent member of the Taira clan of samurai, Tadamori served the retired Heian-period Emperor Shirakawa (1053-1129; r. 1073-1087). According to legend, one rainy night the emperor set out to visit his favorite concubine in the Gion district of Kyoto and asked Tadamori to accompany him. On the way there, they walked through a grove near Midō Temple when they came across a strange, ghostlike figure emanating a flickering light. Startled, the emperor commanded Tadamori to subdue the ghostly demon. Tadamori courageously resolved to capture the thing alive, but fortunately realized before it was too late that the "ghost" was in fact a temple priest wearing a protective rain hat made of straw and carrying a small torch and oil to replenish the lanterns on the temple grounds. For his bravery, Tadamori was said to have been rewarded with the emperor's own concubine.

Exhibition History

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu