A Ceremonial Poetry Party in March, one of a set of five

Object Details

Artist

Ikeda Koson 池田孤村 (1801-1866)

Label

This set of five paintings (F1999.5.1-.5) by Ikeda Koson (1806-1866) depicts five ancient Japanese imperial court rituals (Gosseku) which had evolved from Chinese models during the Nara (710-794) and Heian (794-1185) periods. Elements of these rituals, sometimes referred to as the five sacred festivals, are found in contemporary Japanese festivals. By the late Edo period (1600-1868) The festivals had acquired multiple features beyond the original format but what the artist attempts to reveal in these paintings is the essence or distillation of the early Japanese court models.

Japanese of the Nara and Heian periods regulated their lives on a lunar calendar and adapted many Chinese seasonal festivals. The first festival, Kochohai, (F1999.5.1) celebrated the event in which the crown prince and assembled nobles processed before the emperor on the first day of the first month. Next, Kyokusui (.2) celebrated on the third day of the third month, observes the custom of courtiers floating wine down a stream in the imperial garden; as the cup passed each guest would take a sip and recite a poem. This ritual originated from a more basic purificatory rite in which symbols of past pollution were cast upon the running stream. The festival of Ayame no Dai (.3) derived from the Chinese custom of hanging mugwort from eaves to dispell evil spirits. In Japan the iris was endowed with similar protective properties. On the third day of the fifth month, tiny roofed structures filled with iris leaves symbolozing a talismanic protection of the hall of state and the nation and were placed at the southerly corners of the Hall of State Ceremonies (Shishinden). The late summer feast of Kikkoden (.4) celebrated the once-annual crossing of the Vega and Altair constellations, known respectively as Weaver and Cowherd, on the seventh night of the seventh month. This celebration was replete with romantic connotations. Chinese women were said to have prayed for success in love and proficiency in calligraphy and weaving on this night. The painting here indicates a similar expectation on the part of Japanese court women. Because of its chronological proximity to the feast of the dead in Japan, it also became associated with certain purifactory rituals. Choyo no En (.5) derived from the Chinese custom of drinking chrysanthemum wine on the ninth day of the ninth month. In Japan this approximated the time of the rice harvest and thus took on the role of a harvest celebration.

Provenance

To 1999

Naosuke Suematsu, to 1999

From 1999

Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Naosuke Suematsu in 1999

Collection

Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Exhibition History

Bold and Beautiful: Rinpa in Japanese Art (June 28, 2015 to January 3, 2016)

The Arts of Japan (July 14, 2012 to January 13, 2013)

Artists of Edo (November 19, 2005 to May 29, 2006)

Surveying the Collections: Poets and Parties (July 2, 2000 to February 4, 2001)

Previous custodian or owner

Suematsu Naosuke

Credit Line

Purchase — funds provided by the Friends of the National Museum of Asian Art

ca. 1830

Period

Edo period

Accession Number

F1999.5.2

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Painting

Medium

Ink and color on silk

Dimensions

H x W (image): 114 x 32.6 cm (44 7/8 x 12 13/16 in)

Origin

Japan

Related Online Resources

Google Cultural Institute

See more items in

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Topic

Edo period (1615 - 1868)

celebration

poetry

Japan

kakemono

Japanese Art

Record ID

fsg_F1999.5.2

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye32cbb675b-05e2-4af3-a86f-f90305e6cddd