Dimensions: 6 3/4 × 18 1/8 in. (17.15 × 46.04 cm) (image)38 7/8 × 19 5/16 in. (98.74 × 49.05 cm) (without roller)
Copyright: Public Domain
Ema Saikō created 'On Becoming Fifty' using ink on paper, expressing a deeply personal reflection at a significant milestone in her life. Born into a society where women's roles were highly circumscribed, Saikō defied expectations by becoming a renowned poet, painter, and calligrapher. This work offers a window into Saikō’s inner world, intertwining her emotional and intellectual experiences. The text itself reveals a complex interplay of emotions: a sense of accomplishment, perhaps tinged with melancholy, as she reflects on the passage of time and her place in the world. Saikō’s identity as a woman artist in 19th-century Japan is central to understanding this work; her choice to express herself through traditionally male-dominated art forms becomes a powerful statement of self-assertion. The brushstrokes, each imbued with intention and feeling, reflect the fluidity of her personal journey. 'On Becoming Fifty' invites us to contemplate the universal experience of aging through the unique perspective of a woman who lived and created on her own terms.
Ema Saikō was an outstanding female literatus of her time who was undertaking Chinese studies and arts. She wrote this Chinese-style poem on elegant blue paper with a delicate design of bracken. As I become half a hundred, I begin to understand past mistakes;Slowly, slowly, my intentions have been thwarted.Cranes are tall, ducks short—it is not humans who made them so.Fish leap, hawks soar—all following the course of nature.My desires have faded away like spring snow,Old friends have vanished like stars at dawn.In the end, there is no use in potions for longevity,I only love to paint bamboo, its verdure reflected on my robe.
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