H x W (overall): 37.8 x 25.7 cm (14 7/8 x 10 1/8 in)
Type:
Print
Origin:
Japan
Date:
ca. 1922-1925
Period:
Taisho era
Label:
The focus of this work is the psychological effects of abandonment and unreciprocated love at the center of many noh plays. Hanjo, the play’s female protagonist, is tormented by lost love, the effects of which thrust her into insanity. Kōgyo subtly alluded to this state of mind by choosing a metaphorical moment for his print. Hanjo is captured during a scene that highlights her mental state, as she is increasingly receding into her own fantasies and insanity; the light green aura surrounding her embodies this.
Provenance:
To ?
David Wallace, Washington, DC [1]
To 1971
Embassy of Japan, Washington DC, gift of David Wallace, Washington, DC [2]
From 1971
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of the Embassy of Japan, Washington, DC [3]
Notes:
[1] The Embassy of Japan received a gift from David Wallace of Washington, DC at an unknown date. In 1971, the Embassy of Japan gave print to the Study Collection of the Freer Gallery of Art. See letter dated February 11, 1971 from the Freer Gallery to Mr. David Wallace, copy in object file, Collections Management Office.
[2] See note 1.
[3] See note 1.
Collection:
Freer Study Collection
Exhibition History:
Staging the Supernatural: Ghosts and the Theater in Japanese Prints (March 23 to October 6, 2024)
