Kyoka-surimono by Yashima Gakutei from the collection of the Sakhalin Art Museum
No. 4 (39) (2025), In storerooms and expositions of museums and art galleries
No. 4 (39) (2025)

Kyoka-surimono by Yashima Gakutei from the collection of the Sakhalin Art Museum

In storerooms and expositions of museums and art galleries
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46748/ARTEURAS.2025.04.016
Published 2025-12-27
Irina G. Malkova
Sakhalin Art Museum, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russian Federation

eLibrary ID i.malkova@sakhalin.gov.ru

Abstract

This article delves into the work of Yashima Gakutei, a Japanese artist, poet, and translator from Chinese. It specifically focuses on his surimono print, “Chinese Beauty Peering into a Lacquer Box Where a Spider Has Spun Her Web” (“Tanabata Festival”), which is part of the collection at the Sakhalin Art Museum. Despite the fact that many art historians have studied individual works by Yashima Gakutei from museum collections around the world, there has not been any dedicated research on the artist’s overall body of work. The kyoka-surimono “Tanabata Festival” is one of the few prints held in Russian museums, and it was created by the artist based on the close cultural ties between Far Eastern countries. This article aims to compare this print with others in museum collections, analyse its narrative and composition, examine its specific colouring and inscriptions, and consider decorative elements such as embossing. Through this approach, the print can be dated to the 1880s–1890s and its connection to a kyoka poem and the Chinese myth of Bootes and the Weaver Maiden can be identified. The print also reveals the origin of its heroine and the legendary beauty Yang Guifei. Yashima Gakutei accurately captures the historical atmosphere in the print, depicting typical female court attire from the 7th century, including hairstyles, jewellery, and furnishings. This reflects the artist’s deep interest in Chinese art and literature. The inclusion of Chinese themes in his work not only shows his personal preferences but also reflects the fascination with Chinese culture among educated Japanese individuals, for whom the artist created this engraving.

https://doi.org/10.46748/ARTEURAS.2025.04.016

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