Ōtomo no Kuronushi
circa 1804
A comically large figure in a heavy black robe and tall hat sticks his tongue out playfully, looming over two elegant women in vibrant kimonos. This is a ukiyo-e print by the legendary Kitagawa Utamaro, created around 1804 as part of his 'Modern Six Poetic Immortals' series. Utamaro was famous for his beautiful portraits of women, but here he humorously reimagines a classical Japanese poet—Ōtomo no Kuronushi—as a boisterous, larger-than-life character, likely a famous actor of the time. It’s a wonderful example of how Edo-period artists poked fun at high culture by mixing classical themes with the flashy, entertaining world of the theater.