untitled (mitate on Kume Sennin)

Suzuki Harunobu

circa 1725–1770

untitled (mitate on Kume Sennin), circa 1769, Edo period (1600–1868)

Where object was made: Japan

Material/technique: color woodcut

Dimensions:
Object Height/Width (Height x Width): 618 x 116 mm
Object Height/Width (Height x Width): 24 5/16 x 4 9/16 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 30 x 11 in

Credit line: William Bridges Thayer Memorial

Accession number: 1928.7822

Not on display

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Archive Label date unknown: A mitate transforms legend or literary tale to modern guise in a witty manner. This mitate invokes the story of the Taoist Kume the Transcendent (Kume Sennin), who fell from his lofty station in the clouds when he glimpsed a young woman's legs as she did laundry in a stream. Distracted by lust, he was unable to fly. In this print that depicts Immortals drinking from Western-style glassware and using a telescope to peep at a beauty's exposed limbs, Harunobu has created a humorous, contemporary interpretation of the old moral tale.