Item Summary

Descriptive Information

Title
[Yo-mei mon].
Call Number
D North 57/GC131/Box 39/Normal/19th c./Unidentified Artists/Japan, Meiji Period GA 2010.02297
Identifier
ark:/88435/dcnp193p76g
Publisher
n.d. [1860s-1890s].
Language
No linguistic content
Date Created
1860
Extent
1 item ; print 21.3 x 26.8 cm. sheet 27.9 x 35.4 cm.
Rights Statement
Copyright Not Evaluated
Notes
Unidentified Artist [photographer]
Medium: Albumen prints
Depiction: Close-up view of two small buildings.
Inscribed in ink, verso [1]: 'Leaving the court which contains the candalabra, etc. // we ascend a flight of steps to the platform on // which stands the beautiful gate called Yo-mei mon. // The keya-ki columns which support it are carved with a minuted regular pattern, and painted white. // The center pillar on the left side has a tiger and cub // carved on it, the marks on whose fur are cleverly // rendered by means of the grain of wood. The pillar // next beyond has the pattern carved upside down // which was purposefully done, lest the whole structure, by being too perfect, should bring misfortune // on the House of Toku-gawa. It is called the mayoke // no-hashira, the "evil-averting pillar."
Inscribed in ink, verso [2]: 'The side niches // are lined with a pattern of graceful arabesques founded // upon the botan, and painted white; those on the outside // contain the images called Sadaijin & Udaijin armed // with bows and carrying quivers full of arrows at // their backs; the inner niches have a pair of Ama inu and Koma inu. The capitals of the columns are formed // by the heads of the fabulous beast called Kirin. The // architrave of the second story is adorned with white // dragons' heads where the cross beams intersect, and in // the center of each side and end is a magnificently // evolved dragon with golden claws. Above the // architrave of the lower story projects a balcony which // runs all around the structure. The railing is formed of // groups of children playing and other subjects, 9 on each // face alternating on the side which faces the inner court, with birds. Below again are a curious network // of beams and groups of Chinese sages and Rishi. The
Inscribed in ink, verso [3]: 'Right & left extends a long cloister, the outer walls of which are // decorated with carvings of trees, birds, & flowers, colored after nature, // 15 compartments on the right & on the left. Passing through the gate // we enter a second court enclosed on three sides by the above mentioned // cloisters, in which the Buddhist priests used formerly to repeat their // prayers when assembled for the two great annual festivals.'
Numbered in negative, lower right: "768".
Unsigned.

Discovery Information

Subject
Meiji Period—18601899
Photography—Japan—19th century
Bakumatsu—Meiji period
Landscapes—East Asia
Gates—Japan—Nikko Region—In art
Cloisters (Architecture)—Japan—Nikko Region—In art
Buildings—Japan—Nikko Region—In art
Landscapes—Japan—Nikko Region

Physical Characteristics

File Count
2

Institutional Information

Collection
Omega Project
Selections from the Graphic Arts Collection
IIIF Manifest URL

https://figgy.princeton.edu/concern/scanned_resources/b0ff5ca4-a36f-4283-a116-eca51337c3c6/manifest