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View of the Elegant Banquet Given by Wada, from the series Perspective Pictures of Japan

View of the Elegant Banquet Given by Wada, from the series Perspective Pictures of Japan

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Utagawa Toyoharu

This design refers to a gathering held by Wada no Yoshimori, a general under Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura shogunate (1185–1333). Toyoharu’s design was undoubtedly inspired by the premiere of the kabuki drama The Flowering Mirror of the Elegant Banquet Given by Wada. During this period, historically based dramas were popular with kabuki audiences. The scene depicts the moment when Soga Goro Tokimune challenges Wada no Yoshimori to a test of strength. They compete by pulling on the tassets on their armor. On stage, this contest plays out like a choreographed dance. Toyoharu’s composition reflects the scene as it might appear on the kabuki stage, with architectural details similar to those found in his pictures of theater interiors.
Artist
Utagawa Toyoharu
(Japanese, 1735 - 1814)
Title
View of the Elegant Banquet Given by Wada, from the series Perspective Pictures of Japan
Date
1/1773
Medium
Color woodcut
Dimensions
261 x 378 mm Overall
Credit
Bequest of John H. Van Vleck
Accession No.
1980.3103
Classification
Prints
Geography
Japan

Related

By 1925, purchased in Japan by Frank Lloyd Wright; ca. 1926, acquired by The Bank of Wisconsin; 1928, sold to Edward Burr Van Vleck (Madison, WI); 1943, passed through inheritance to Edward’s son, John H. Van Vleck (Madison, WI); 9 January 1980, bequeathed by John H. Van Vleck to the Elvehjem Museum of Art [now called Chazen Museum of Art]

  • Mueller, Laura. "Competition and Collaboration: Japanese Prints of the Utagawa School." Leiden, The Netherlands: Hotei Publishing, 2007. p. 67, no. 16

  • Utagawa: Masters of the Japanese Print, 1770-1900: Chazen Museum of Art, 11/2/2009–11/26/2009
  • Competition and Collaboration: Japanese Prints of the Utagawa School: Chazen Museum of Art, 11/3/2007–1/6/2008
  • Kabuki: The Drama of Japanese Prints: Elvehjem Museum of Art, 4/19/2003–6/22/2003

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