Komachi Praying for Rain

Attributed to Torii Kiyomitsu Japanese

Not on view

This print is a parody of the Kabuki play Komachi Praying for Rain, which is based on the legend of Ono no Komachi, the beautiful poetess of the ninth century. She put a card on which she had written a poem into a miniature boat and released it into a pond to pray for rain at the imperial garden. Thanks to the power of her poetry, the rain started and continued for three days.

Although there is no artist's signature, the print has been attributed to Torii Kiyomitsu, the third master of the Torii school and the teacher of Kiyonaga.

Komachi Praying for Rain, Attributed to Torii Kiyomitsu (Japanese, 1735–1785), Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan

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Komachi Praying for Rain, Attributed to Torii Kiyomitsu (Japanese, 1735–1785), Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan
Komachi Praying for Rain, Attributed to Torii Kiyomitsu (Japanese, 1735–1785), Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan

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