This print, number 10 from the series Kyōdō risshi no motoi (Instructive Models of Lofty Ambition), was designed by the talented artist Inoue Yasuji (Tankei). The scene illustrates a famous story demonstrating the magnanimity of the young Emperor Takakura (1161–1181). The Emperor, who had a great fondness for autumn foliage, had a special garden created in the palace grounds called "The Hill of Autumn Tints," planted with maple trees. Following a severe autumn gale, three palace servants are depicted using the swept-up fallen leaves and broken branches to build a fire and warm their sake on a bleak morning. When a horrified official discovered this, he expected severe punishment for the servants. However, the young Emperor was not angry at all. Instead, he laughed and responded by quoting a poem by the celebrated Chinese poet Po-chu-i (Hakurakuten in Japanese) about warming wine in the woods by burning maple leaves, thereby displaying remarkable wisdom and benevolence. Inoue Yasuji, a student of Kobayashi Kiyochika, contributed thirteen prints to this series. He tragically died at the age of 25, just three years after this print was issued.
#25000345
VISIONS OF THE FLOATING WORLD
From Hokusai and Hiroshige through Kunisada to Koson – 92 catalogue lots containing over 100 original woodblock prints.
