Poem by Emperor Tenchi, from the series One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets Explained by the Nurse (1835–36): Art, History and Details

Poem by Emperor Tenchi, from the series One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets Explained by the Nurse (1835–36) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, 1760–1849).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This autumn landscape with rice farmers and travelers is from Katsushika Hokusai’s series of prints inspired by the anthology One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki). While traveling through the countryside, like the two figures in the center, a sudden storm forced the Emperor Tenchi (reigned 661–72) to take shelter in a rice farmer’s hut. The experience produced tears of sympathy for the common people toiling under heavy burdens and living in rough, flimsy homes. The poem at the upper right next to the cartouche reads: Lying on the rough Mats of rice-harvest guards In the autumn fields, I find the sleeves of my robe wet. Is the dew so heavy?

Object facts

• Title: Poem by Emperor Tenchi, from the series One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets Explained by the Nurse
• Date: 1835–36
• Creator attribution: Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, 1760–1849)
• Culture: Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
• Type: Print
• Technique: color woodblock print
• Dimensions: Sheet: 24.4 x 37 cm (9 5/8 x 14 9/16 in.)
• Collection: Japanese Art
• Department: Japanese Art
• Accession number: 1916.1164

Collection credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade

Further reading listed by the museum

• Morse, Peter, Hokusai Katsushika, and Clay MacCauley. Hokusai, One Hundred Poets. New York: G. Braziller, 1989.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.