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「高位婚礼式之図」
Wedding Ceremony of a Noble Couple (Kôi konreishiki no zu)
「高位婚礼式之図」
Japanese
Meiji era
1900 (Meiji 33), February
Medium/Technique
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Vertical ôban triptych; 37 x 74.4 cm (14 9/16 x 29 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Collection
Accession Number2000.257a-c
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAsia, Prints and Drawings
ClassificationsPrints
Following the silver wedding anniversary of 1894, the next royal event to be widely publicized was the wedding of Crown Prince Yoshihito, the future Taishō Emperor, and a young noblewoman, Kujō Sadako. They married in a Shinto ceremony wearing Japanese court costume and then changed into formal European clothes to perform the ritualized exchange of sake (rice wine) before the emperor and empress. The bride’s white wedding gown was a fashion sensation and marked the beginning of a trend that has continued to the present. Japanese brides today may choose either Western or Japanese-style costumes (with many possible variations); they may even appear in both types of wedding finery at different points during the celebration of their nuptials, just as the princess did in 1900.
Catalogue Raisonné
Asai, Kinsei nishiki-e sesôshi 8 (1936), pp. 88-9
Signed
Ôju Yôsai
應需楊斎
應需楊斎
ProvenanceVarious dealers: primarily in London and Tokyo. Purchased between 1985-1999.