Poem by Ariwara no Narihira Ason- (Actor Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII as) Seigen Possibly 1852

Editor: We're looking at "Poem by Ariwara no Narihira Ason - (Actor Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII as) Seigen," a woodblock print from around 1852, by Utagawa Kunisada. I’m immediately struck by the actor's almost unnerving expression. What story do you think this portrait tells? Curator: Oh, the story! It’s always simmering beneath the surface of these prints, isn’t it? What do you make of the rain, for instance, or those blossoms clinging on in the background? It feels less a picture, more a captured moment. The actor is both present and a conduit. Kunisada excelled at layering narrative – fact and feeling interwoven. Look at the set of his jaw, that intensity! The actor is playing the part, embodying Seigen who himself penned a heartbreaking poem. Melancholy in full bloom, would you agree? Editor: I see what you mean. It’s like he's pulling us into that moment of anguish. I noticed the poem in the upper right – is that the actual poem by Ariwara no Narihira? Curator: Clever you! That is indeed a printed version of the famous poem. Consider it another layer in Kunisada's intricate cake – an artwork commenting on performance, emotion, even literary history, all within the fleeting impression of a woodblock print. It’s rather amazing, isn't it, how something so tangible – ink on paper – can convey so much emotional weight. Do you see it, the depth beneath those inks? Editor: I think so, yes. Before this, I would have just seen a portrait. I realize now there’s so much context woven into this single image! Curator: Exactly. Art whispers until you listen closely, wouldn’t you say?