Katsuyuki Nishijima - 安土落雁 (Wild Geese at Azuchi)
Title: 安土落雁 Wild Geese at Azuchi. Ed.338/500.
Artist: Katsuyuki Nishijima (1945-Present).
Signed & Titled: Signed in pencil. Series title: 新近江八景 (New Eight Views of Ōmi) to plate. Image title 安土落雁 Wild Geese at Azuchi to lower right of image.
Medium: Woodblock Print.
Paper Size: W: 52.50cm x H: 37.50cm. (Image Size: W: 46.50cm x H: 31.50cm).
Condition: Good - Image face clean, foxing spots to margin. Tape residue to verso. Please refer to photos / Contact for any further questions & condition report.
Notes: 新近江八景 New Eight Views of Ōmi details Nishijima’s contemporary take on The Eight Views of Omi - a series evolving from Chinese Song (960-1279) & Yuan (1271-1368) dynasty where tradition often sought poetic & painted works to be depicted across a series of eight specific themes: Evening Snow; Evening Rain; Returning Boats; Geese flying home; Clear weather; Autumn Moon; Evening (Vesper) Bell; & Evening Sunset.
Prince Konoe Masaie (1444-1505) & his son Konoe Naomichi (d.1544) parodied (/mitate-e’d) this tradition upon a visit to Sasaki Takayori (d.1520), the former constable daimyo of Omi province, circa 1500. Composing eight verses of poetry, each verse echoed the beauty around Lake Biwa under various lights of the eight traditional themes. (for example: Evening Snow at Hira & Evening Rain at Karasaki). Eight Views of Ōmi (or otherwise known Eight Views of Lake Biwa) soon evolved to become a particularly popular & reimagined theme/subject throughout ukiyo-e.
