Oeno Chisato

Here is the sixth in this year's print set, Oeno Chisato, who lived in the late ninth and early tenth century, and who apparently had quite a reputation as both a philosopher and poet. But perhaps those are really the same thing ...

I must confess that when I first studied this picture I didn't like it very much. The poet looked to me to be too arrogant and disdainful, and I preferred the 'peaceful' type of personality like we saw in the print of Dainagon Tsunenobu, a few months ago. But during the time I was carving it, I gradually developed a liking for him. I still don't know very much about his true character, but the arrogance that I once saw now seems to me to be just 'distance' ... perhaps.

It is interesting to note that the original book that I am using as a 'master copy' to create my prints (in the Toyo Bunko here in Tokyo), is generally printed quite neatly and cleanly, but the page containing this design is very poorly done, and part of the image is smeared and unclear. I had to refer to another copy to fill in the missing details. Although the printers in the Edo era were very highly skilled workmen, they were under a lot of pressure to get the work done very quickly, and they certainly had no time to spend carefully checking each copy for defects. We should remember too that back in those days, prints and books like this one were not really considered 'art' in the same way that my prints are. They were simply articles of commerce, to be produced as cheaply and quickly as possible. I think Shunsho would be very rather astonished if he were able to see his designs being exhibited in a modern art gallery. I don't think he would understand what we were doing with them ...

Please enjoy our philosopher this month. Coming up next is Chunagon Asatada.

Translation - Tom Galt 1982