Lord Teika’s Poetry Contest

(Teika kyô uta awase, 定家卿歌合)

Publisher: Arita-ya Seiemon

c. 1841

Lord Teika refers to Fujiwara no Teika, who is considered one of Japan’s greatest poets and was the compiler of the Hyakunin Isshu (A Hundred Poems by a Hundred Poets). This print series reproduces poems from a poetry contest between Lady Shunzei and Minamoto no Michitomo which was conducted by Lord Teika.

In this series, beautiful women are compared to poems and matched with colors. Robinson read the series title as Comparison of Poems (Shi-ka-kyô uta awase) and listed the series as numbers 94 and 149 (depending upon script) in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961). The prints are each about 14 by 10 inches (36 by 25 centimeters), a size known as ôban. I am grateful to Robert Pryor for his contributions to this series.

	Description: Woman with green plants Color: Green or blue (ao, 青) Robinson: 149 NOTE: The Japanese classify green and blue as different shades of the same color.
	Another state of the above design lacking the green ground and the toshidama seal under Kuniyoshi’s signature
	Description: Woman by a waterfall Color: White (shiro, 白) Robinson: 149
	Another state of the above design lacking the green ground
	Description: Female poet writing Color: Black (kuro, 黒) Robinson: 94
	Description: Woman bending over a flowering bush Color: Yellow (ki, 黄) Robinson: 149
	Description: Woman dancing by a stream Color: Red (aka, 赤) Robinson: 94

“Robinson” indicates listing in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson, 1961, Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

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