Pangu seated on a rock, by Yashima Gakutei

An image of Pangu seated on a rock. Gakutei, Yashima (Japanese, 1786(?)-1868). Surimono. Colour print from woodblocks, with metallic pigment and blind embossing, circa 1820-circa 1823. Poetry by Bunjutei Kagezumi and Bumbunsha. Ukiyo-e. Notes: The right-hand sheet from the ten-sheet series Katsushikaren meisu juban (Ten numbers for the Katsushika Group) which forms a continuous composition illustrating the numbers from one to ten. Pangu (Hanko in Japanese) illustrates the number ‘one’, because he was supposed to be the first man to appear on earth after Creation. He had the head of a dragon and the body of a snake, and when he died the dissolution of his body formed the phenomena of the universe - wind, clouds, rain, trees, plants, and the human race. Gakutei represents him as a more benign and human figure than his usual representation in Chinese art. In the first poem, the god’s name, Hanko, can also be read as banko, meaning ‘forever’: ‘Born from chaos, Hanko and the sunlight both resound with the first bird’s cry.’ ‘What came before the flowers in the world was a spring dawn with a single person’s smile.’

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Pangu seated on a rock. Gakutei, Yashima (Japanese, 1786(?)-1868). Surimono. Colour print from woodblocks, with metallic pigment and blind embossing, circa 1820-circa 1823. Poetry by Bunjutei Kagezumi and Bumbunsha. Ukiyo-e. Notes: The right-hand sheet from the ten-sheet series Katsushikaren meisu juban (Ten numbers for the Katsushika Group) which forms a continuous composition illustrating the numbers from one to ten. Pangu (Hanko in Japanese) illustrates the number ‘one’, because he was supposed to be the first man to appear on earth after Creation. He had the head of a dragon and the body of a snake, and when he died the dissolution of his body formed the phenomena of the universe - wind, clouds, rain, trees, plants, and the human race. Gakutei represents him as a more benign and human figure than his usual representation in Chinese art. In the first poem, the god’s name, Hanko, can also be read as banko, meaning ‘forever’: ‘Born from chaos, Hanko and the sunlight both resound with the first bird’s cry.’ ‘What came before the flowers in the world was a spring dawn with a single person’s smile.’

Image data

Accession Number: P.267-1937
Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Aperture: f/22.0
Focal length: 120
Camera: Hasselblad H4D-31
Photographer name: Sam Cole
Image height: 1025 pixels
Image width: 924 pixels
Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.0 (Windows)
Filesize: 0.97MB
Exposure time: 1/125
ISO Speed: 100
Fnumber: 22/1
Captured: 2017:07:24 11:17:23

Key words

19th Century bearded beards blind embossing colour printing creation creator embossed embossing Fitz_PDP Gakutei gofun Hanko Japan Japanese karazuri male metallic pigment outcrop Pangu pigment poem poetry poets print rocks rocky surimono ukiyo-e woodblock woodcut Yashima Gakutei

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            The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024)
            "Pangu seated on a rock, by Yashima Gakutei"
            Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/image/media-2848118520 Accessed: 2024-04-19 09:31:45

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            {{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/image/media-2848118520
            |title=Pangu seated on a rock, by Yashima Gakutei
            |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-04-19 09:31:45|publisher=The
            University of Cambridge}}

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