Noh Play Hachinoki c. 19th century

color-on-silk, hanging-scroll, ink

architectural sketch

landscape illustration sketch

amateur sketch

light pencil work

color-on-silk

pencil sketch

incomplete sketchy

etching

japan

hanging-scroll

ink

pen-ink sketch

watercolor

environment sketch

"Noh Play Hachinoki" is a hanging scroll painting by the celebrated Japanese artist Shibata Zeshin, created in the 19th century. The work depicts a scene from the Noh play "Hachinoki" featuring a figure carrying a bucket and standing before a rustic dwelling partially obscured by a thicket of trees. Zeshin's masterful use of ink and color creates a delicate and evocative atmosphere, characteristic of his signature style. The scroll serves as a visual interpretation of the Noh play, offering a glimpse into its narrative and aesthetics.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

⋮

Set in the mid-Kamakura period, the story of Hachinoki (“Potted Trees”) is a tale of loyalty rewarded. One snowy day, a traveling monk appeared at the home of the warrior Sano no Genzaemon-no-jō Tsuneyo and asked to stay. Tsuneyo initially declined as his family was too poor to host anyone, but at the urging of his wife, changed his mind. To keep the house warm, Tsuneyo sacrificed his prized bonsai trees—miniature plum, cherry, and pine—as firewood. Tsuneyo explained to the monk that his family had once owned a large piece of land, but a relative had usurped it. But despite his poverty, he avowed, he would immediately ride his horse to battle if the shogun needed him. A few days later, he received a mobilization order by the regent Hōjō Tokiyori. Arriving in broken armor and holding a rusty weapon, Tsuneyo endured the mockery of his peers when he was specifically called out to meet the regent. He then realized that the monk he had helped was Tokiyori. To show his appreciation, Tokiyori promised to return the lost land to him, and gave three estates for the three trees Tsuneyo sacrificed.