Suzuki Harunobu (Japan, 1725-1770) Three prints, chuban tate-e, from an anonymous series on the Three Vesper Poems (Sanseki waka). Signed Suzuki Harunobu ga. 1766-1767 (Minor restorations). Dim. 28,2 x 20,4 cm These three engravings are part of an untitled series of three prints illustrating the Three Evenings, each composition featuring a rectangular cartouche containing verses from the fourth section of the Shin Kokinshu (an anthology of waka poetry compiled in 1206). These compositions are reinterpretations of a print by Nishikawa Sukenobu (1671-c. 1750): Ehon Yamatoi hiji (1735-42), interesting evidence of Harunobu's debt to the master. Evening by the Marshes In this composition, a man stands attentively reading a letter, while a woman at his feet holds a shamisen, an instrument associated with houses of pleasure. The poem in the frame is a composition by the medieval poet Saigyo Hoshi (1118-1190): Kokoro naki mi ni mo aware wa shirarekeri shigi tatsu sawa no o aki no yugure Against my will, a feeling of melancholy invaded my heart... on the marsh where the snipe flies away in autumn, at dusk. Shin kokinshu IV, 362 (Kokka Taikan, Matsushita Daisaburo et al. 2 Vols. Tokyo: Kawai Matsudaira, 1903, p. 178) Courtesan reading In the second, a reclining woman is reading an album, leaning on her elbow, while another is looking out at the horizon with a pipe in her hand. The poem shown here in the frame is a composition by the medieval poet Jakuren Hoshi (1139-1202): Sabishisa wa sono iro to shi mo nakarikeri maki tatsu yama no aki no yugure Solitude - even the warmth of colours is absent... where the black fir trees grow, the mountains in autumn, at dusk. Shin kokinshu IV, 361 (Kokka Taikan, Matsushita Daisaburo et al. 2 Vols. Tokyo: Kawai Matsudaira, 1903, p. 178) Courtesans by the water Two women on a terrace projected over a stretch of water. One is seated, leaning against the balustrade, holding a pipe; the other is standing, gazing into the distance with the first. The poem shown here in the frame is a composition by the medieval poet Gonchunagon Sadaie (1162-1241): Miwataseba hana mo momiji mo nakarikeri ura no tomaya no aki no yugure As far as the eye there are neither flowers nor red maple are to be found... only a thatched hut by the shore at twilight in autumn. Shin kokinshu IV 363 (Kokka Taikan, Matsushita Daisaburo et al. 2 Vols. Tokyo: Kawai Matsudaira, 1903, p. 178. Reference: Two similar prints from this series are in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession no. 34.348 & 11.19455. In these, the houses are replicas of Sukenobu. Translations from Harunobu and His Age, D.B. WATERHOUSE, The British Musuem, 1964, London, pp. 100-105.