Fūryū kume sennin (A Fashionable Depiction of Kume the Transcendent), Okumura Masanobu

Archive Label date unknown: This depiction by one of the early ukiyoe ("pictures of the floating world") print artists uses the same theme as the Harunobu print displayed in this exhibition; the humorous account of how Kume the Transcendent fell to earth after seeing a lovely young laundress's attractive bare legs. Masanobu connects the legend to his own time by dressing the floating sage in kabuki actor costume and the three laundresses in expensive, fashionable garb. Archive Label date unknown: The Kume legend was particularly well-suited to "mitate-e," a type of depiction in which a theme is transformed or parodied through a shift in circumstances or personages. Here, the essential element of the story--Kume catching sight of the washerwoman's leg as he swoops down on a cloud--is maintained. The drama is heightened by the diagonal placement of the kimono material, which not only bisects the line of sight between Kume and the maiden but also divides them. The "mitate" nature of the print includes the interjection of the two maidens, unrelated to the narrative, who are presumably denizens of the pleasure quarters of the day. The reference to the entertainment world also exends to Kume, who is dressed in the costume of a kabuki actor.