Zashiki Hakkei (Japanese:坐敷八景,^[a] "Eight Parlour Views") is a series of eight prints from 1766^[2] by the Japaneseukiyo-e artistSuzuki Harunobu. They were the first full-colournishiki-e prints and are considered representative examples of Harunobu's work. The prints aremitate-e parodies of popular themes of the 11th-century Chinese landscape painting series,Eight Views of Xiaoxiang; Harunobu replaces natural scenery with domestic scenes.

Harunobu made an eroticshunga version of the series inc. 1768–70 calledFūryū Zashiki Hakkei (風流座敷八景, "Eight Fashionable Parlour Views" or "Eight Modern Parlour Views"), each accompanied with a poem. He appropriated images and poetry for them from works by earlier artists, particularly those of the artistNishikawa Sukenobu (1671–1750) and the poet Fukuo Kichijirō.

TheZashiki Hakkei theme became popular with artists such asTorii Kiyonaga, who produced two series based on Harunobu'sZashiki Hakkei in the late 1770s, andIsoda Koryūsai, who produced aZashiki Hakkei series of his own.

Ukiyo-e emerged in Japan as a genre of paintings andwoodblock prints in the late 17th century.^[3] Early prints were printed with black ink; colour was sometimes added by hand, and by the mid-18th century with extra woodblocks.^[4]Suzuki Harunobu (1725–1770) achieved fame in the latter 1760s for his pioneeringnishiki-e "brocade prints" made with a large number of coloured blocks.^[5] These arose at adaishōkai^[b]calendar-picture printing [ja] event hosted in 1765 byŌkubo Kyosen [ja],^[6] ahatamoto samurai who producedhaiku poetry and ukiyo-e art.^[7] The prolific Harunobu became the dominant ukiyo-e artist of his time.^[8] He made these prints typically on commission, and they bore the name of the patron rather than the artist on first printings; later printings for the public removed the patron's name or replaced it with the artist's.^[9]

TheEight Views of Xiaoxiang is a Chinese series of eightshan shui "mountain-water" paintings of views of theXiao andXiang Rivers in China.^[7] The scholar-painterSong Di produced the first rendition in the 1060s with a series of landscapehandscrolls, to which he later attached a one-line poem to each. The theme soon became a popular subject in artistic circles.^[10] It later became a popular theme with Japanesebunjin literati painters^[7] and became widely known after its introduction in Japan during theMuromachi period (1336–1573). Thereafter the subjects and titles formed the basis for paintings and poetry.^[11] The Japanese often adapted the theme to local geography, with such titles asEight Views of Edo orEight Views of Kanagawa. One of the earliest and most popular of these localized themes wasEight Views of Ōmi, set inŌmi Province (modernShiga Prefecture), which surroundsLake Biwa, not far from the ancient capital of Kyoto.^[12]

Harunobu often employed numerous complexmitate allusions in his prints for viewers to take pleasure in recognizing and deciphering.^[13] Early in his career he made aŌmi Hakkei no Uchi^[c] series of verticalhashira-e "pillar prints".^[14]

The series appeared inchūban size^[d][15] from the publisher Shokakudō^[e] of Yokoyama-chō inEdo (modern Tokyo)^[16] inc. 1766.[f] As was common at the time, the higher-quality first printing of the series bore the seal of the client who commissioned it:^[2]Kyosen (巨川), for Ōkubo Kyosen.^[7] Kyosen distributed some of the print sets,^[16] which came in an expensivepaulownia box^[17] in which a packet wrapping the prints displayed Harunobu's name and the titles of the prints, which did not appear on the prints themselves in this printing.^[g][16]

Shōkakudō republished the prints for the general public with Harunobu's name on the wrapper, on which it advertised the new full-colour technique asAzumanishiki-e^[18] ("brocade pictures of the Eastern Capital"—"Azuma" refers to the country's administrative capital Edo, found in eastern Japan).^[19] The publisher sold this edition of the set without Kyosen's seal,^[18] and with an index sheet listing the names of the prints.^[20] The publisher sold the prints individually without a wrapper from the third printing on with Harunobu's seal on them. Later printings appeared from other publishers as well, some of the full set, others of individual prints, sometimes with certain prints reused in other series.^[18]

Art historians have traced major compositional elements in Harunobu's work to earlier works by artists such asNishikawa Sukenobu (1671–1750),Okumura Masanobu (1686–1764),Ishikawa Toyonobu.^[21] Harunobu's appropriations are so close in detail to the originals that he appears not to have tried to hide them.^[22] Art historian Akiko Tanabe considered this a deliberate approach demonstrating Harunobu's appreciation of the traditional themes of his art.^[21]

Harunobu produced an eroticshunga version of the series inc. 1768–70[h] titledFūryū Zashiki Hakkei "Eight Fashionable Parlour Views" or "Eight Modern Parlour Views").^[15] These were also inchūban size,^[23] and were likely sold separately, whereas the originalZashiki Hakkei was sold at first as a bundle.^[25] Art historians did not have access to a complete set ofFūryū Zashiki Hakkei until 1994.Tadashi Kobayashi [ja] published the first study of the complete in 1999.Monta Hayakawa [ja] provided an in-depth interpretation ofmitate elements in them in a book on Harunobu's use ofmitate in 2002.^[26]

It is thought that Kyosen had the prints based onkyōka poems by Fukuo Kichijirō^[i] and Nagata Teiryū^[j] (1654–1734);^[28] both had produced sets of poems on theEight Views of Xiaoxiang, Teiryū inc. 1722 and Kichijirō inc. 1725.[15] Kyosen and Harunobu were almost certainly familiar with their work, and the poems on theFūryū Zashiki Hakkei prints bear a close resemblance to Kichijirō's.^[28] Kichijirō, fromOwari Province, put his humorousZashiki Hakkei in domestic settings. He was an adolescent^[29] when his series appeared in theKyōhō Sesetsu,^[k] a collection of poetry assembled in theKyōhō era (1716–36). TheKyōhō Sesetsu exists only in hand-written manuscript copies, amongst which there may have been small differences.^[15] Because not one of Harunobu's is precisely the same as known copies of Kichijirō's, it is likely they were based on Kichijirō's with changes made. It is possible they came from a copy of the manuscript unknown to scholars, but differences in known copies are slight.^[15]

Harunobu re-used compositional elements from the series in other prints, as did other artists.^[30] There is a series on the four seasons that uses rearranged visual elements fromZashiki Hakkei with the poems fromFūryū Zashiki Hakkei attached; it is signed "Harunobu" but is likely the work ofShiba Kōkan, who signed many of his works with Harunobu's name. Inc. 1777[31]Torii Kiyonaga (1752–1815) produced two of his own versions of Harunobu'sZashiki Hakkei under the titlesFūryū Zashiki Hakkei (1777) andZashiki Hakkei Mono (1778),^[32] to both of which he added the poems from Harunobu'sFūryū Zashiki Hakkei.^[33] Kiyonaga's versions modernize the styles of the hair and kimonos^[34] and rearrange the figures and viewpoints of Harunobu's originals.^[33]

Zashiki Hakkei has come to be seen as a representative example of Harunobu's work.^[18] The art scholarMonta Hayakawa [ja] considersFūryū Zashiki Hakkei likely the most complex set of shunga prints.^[35]

With the exception ofClearing Mist of the Fan, the prints depict indoor scenes set in azashiki [ja]—aJapanese-style room floored withtatami straw mats. Two women feature in each print ofZashiki Hakkei, and each is amitate parody that alludes to theEight Views of Xiaoxiang series, replacing the landscape scenery of the paintings with contemporary domestic scenes and objects.^[18]

Aside from the erotic content,Fūryū Zashiki Hakkei differs most fromZashiki Hakkei by the addition of akyōka poem to each print,^[36] set off from the rest of the picture with wavy, cloud-like lines.^[25] Themitate works on two levels: as a parody of theEight Views of Xiaoxiang replacing natural scenery with domestic furnishings, and by adding a male–female tale to the eight views.^[36]

• 
  Kotoji no rakugan,first state, 1766, bearing Kyosen's seal:巨川
• 
  Second state, with no seal
• 
  From the third state, bearing Harunobu's seal:春信
• 
  EroticFūryū Zashiki Hakkei version; the hairstyle and clothing indicate the rear figure is male

Kotoji no rakugan (琴柱の落雁, "Descending geese of the koto bridges") parodiesWild Geese Descending on a Sandbank (平沙落雁Heisa rakugan),^[37] which traditionally depicts a flock of geese descends on the banks of the Xiang River.^[38] The title poses translation difficulties. Common translations includeDescending Geese of the Koto Bridges andDescending Geese of the Koto Bridges, suggesting geese landing on the bridges of the koto. A more word-for-word translation asThe Koto Bridges' Descending Geese reveals ambiguity in the original title: it may also refer to geese landing on the bridges, or to the bridges representing the geese themselves.^[39]

The scene depicts a young girl from a privileged family practising thekoto,^[40] an instrument with movablebridges for each of its 13 strings.^[41] The diagonal arrangement of bridges suggests askein of geese across the broadpaulownia-wood surface like a sandbank in allusion toKotoji no rakugan; the pine-strewn beach design of the girl's long-sleevedkimono reinforces the allusion. TheJapanese clovers that peek out from behind theshōji sliding door indicate the scene takes place in autumn.^[40]

The girl in the foreground holds a koto training songbook, and another lies on the floor.^[42] They are titledKinkyokushū^[l] and are in the same format as the two-volumeKinkyokushō^[m] collection ofkumi-uta pieces for the koto publishedc. 1764–65.[43] Such songbooks typically opened with "Fuki",^[n] a piece by the priestKenjun [ja] that is considered the first of thekumi-uta genre.^[42] Contemporary viewers of the print would have been familiar with the piece and its third verse:^[44]

TheFūryū Zashiki Hakkei version, titled琴柱落雁, was the first in the series, which is thus perhaps why it is quieter and less explicit than the rest. In the print a young girl plays the koto while receiving a kiss from behind from a young male,^[47] who is untying herobi sash.^[48] The uncut forelocks of the male indicate awakashū—a boy who has not yet had hisgenpuku coming-of-age ceremony,^[47] which at the time would have taken place when he reached 15 or 16.^[49] The changing colours of the leaves outside the window suggest indicate autumn, the season of migrating geese ofKotoji no rakugan, a version of which appears on a partitioning screen behind the pair. Further allusions include those relating to the koto, as in the original version of the print,^[47] and the painting of a skein of geese on the partitioning screen at right behind the boy.^[48] To the right a black dog appears to feign disinterest in its owner's lovemaking.^[50]

Themitate works on two main levels: first, replacing the traditional natural setting with a modern domestic one; and second, replacing the geese imagery with a scene of young love.^[52] Hayakawa findsmitate allusions in the poem that relate to the image: he sees the "first geese" signifying the boy's first love, and the sound of the koto—an instrument that most often young women learn—representing the awakening of the girl's romantic feelings. He sees the reddeningJapanese maple leaves reflecting the girl's growing passion for the boy and the pattern of maple andJapanese ivy leaves on her sleeves representing her sensuality.^[49] Ishigami notes that Kichijirō's version of the poem emphasizes the shape of the descending skein of geese,^[q] while Harunobu's emphasizes the sound of the koto attracting the geese, an image on which Harunobu builds a visual allusion in the picture.^[48]

• 
  Ōgi no seiran, 1766
• 
  Geisha and Assistant in Front of the Matsumotoya,c. 1767–68
• 
  Geisha and Attendant on Riverbank,c. 1768–70
• 
  Fūryū Zashiki Hakkei version ofClearing Mist of the Fan, 1769
• 
  Mountain Village, Clearing Mist version byKanō Tan'yū, 17th century

Ōgi no seiran (扇の清嵐, "Clearing mist of the fan") parodiesMountain Village, Clearing Mist (山市晴嵐Sanshi seiran).^[37]

The print depicts a young girl in a kimono with flowing long sleeves at a street cornerōgi foldinghand fan^[r] while leading another girl, who turns her head away from the first, perhaps against the wind that clears the mist. The first girl appears to shield herself from the sun, which suggests the summer scene ofMountain Village, Clearing Mist.^[53]

The eroticFūryū Zashiki Hakkei version takes place at a hand-fan seller'smachiya home; lacquered boxes for illustrated hand fans lay on the floor, as does a yet-unset printed fan sheet of a tiger amongst bamboo trees. At the time the custom was to change fan sheets in early summer.^[50] To the left an aproned child amuses itselfcatching goldfish.^[25] Yoshikazu Hayashi dates the series to 1770 based on the tiger design on the fan, which he says suggests theyear of the tiger in theChinese zodiac—though other sources maintain a publishing date ofc. 1768–69.[24]

Before he began to produce full-colour prints, Harunobu used the same composition in abenizuri-e print,Before the Tomiyoshi-ya,^[s] in which the lead figure carries a closed umbrella rather than a fan while passing before the Tomiyoshi-ya liquor store.^[54] Harunobu later reused the composition in other prints, such asIn Front of the Matsumotoya^[t] (c. 1767–68) andGeisha and Attendant on Riverbank[u] (c. 1768–69),[30] the latter of which also reuses the poem from theFūryū Zashiki Hakkei version.^[55]

• 
  Nurioke no bosetsu, 1766
• 
  Fūryū Zashiki Hakkei version, 1769
• 
  FromNure-sugata Aizomekawa,Nishikawa Sukenobu, 1722

Nurioke no bosetsu (塗桶の暮雪 "Evening snow on thenurioke") parodiesRiver and Sky in Evening Snow (江天暮雪Kōten bosetsu).^[37] Whilekōten (江天, "large river and sky") implies a composition in which a broad skyline lies against a wide river, the renderings in theEight Views of Xiaoxiang tend to emphasize the snow-covered mountains. Harunobu replaces these mountains withnurioke, lacquered wooden forms that silk floss was placed on to dry.^[57] The young man at the top helps the young woman at the bottom preparewadding from whitesilk floss.^[16] The print'sembossing gives the feeling of the softness of the silk floss detail, a technique calledkarazuri (空摺り) that uses an un-inked woodblock.^[58]

The eroticFūryū Zashiki Hakkei version is of a cotton worker having sex with a clerk who has come to collect goods. The clerk's account book lies behind him to the right, and the print employs the samenurioke allusion to the mountains ofRiver and Sky in Evening Snow. At the time this cotton work was understood as typically a front for women who also worked as prostitutes.^[59] Outside theshōji in the background appear the head and forelegs of a white dog whose arched posture suggest a female in mid-copulation. Harunobu employs a range of contrasts—white cloth on blacknurioke, public work and private, male and female—from which Hayakawa surmises the unseen male dog must be black, stating that such calling forth of the imagination was one of the pleasures ofmitate for contemporary viewers.^[60] Harunobu appears to have appropriated the positioning and gestures of the copulating figures from the ninth page of Sukenobu'sNure-sugata Aizomekawa^[v] of 1722 for theFūryū Zashiki Hakkei.^[61]

• 
  Tokei no banshō, 1766
• 
  Fūryū Zashiki Hakkei version, 1768–70
• 
  Shōkei's [ja] version ofEvening Gong at Qingliang Temple, early 16th century

Tokei no banshō (時計の晩鐘, "Evening Bell of the Clock") parodiesEvening Gong at Qingliang Temple (烟寺晩鐘Enji banshō).^[37]

The print depicts the proprietress of a bathhouse relaxing on the veranda outside the baths. A female servant attends to her while looking back at aJapanese clock inside. The indicates the evening hour, alluding to the evening gong, and sits upon a tall stand, alluding to the mountain Qingliang Temple sits upon.^[63]

In theFūryū Zashiki Hakkei version a female servant peeps from behind afusuma sliding door at a man and woman having sex, a common theme in Harunobu's shunga prints as typified in hisManeemon series. As in the original, a clock at the far right edge alludes to the gong inThe Evening Gong at Qingliang Temple. The clock and the thick bedding were costly items at the time and indicate the home of a wealthy merchant.^[64] The composition and the poem about "becoming extremely lonely" draws attention to the servant, rather than the copulating couple as would be expected in an erotic print.^[65]

Harunobu appears to have combined images from twoe-hon for the composition ofFūryū Zashiki Hakkei. The copulating pair share the positioning of a couple in the final volume of Sukenobu'sFuryū Iro Hakkei^[w] of 1715, and Harunobu appears to have appropriated the peeping servant from the anonymousNanshoku Yamaji no Tsuyu^[x] ofc. 1733.[67]

• 
  Kyōdai no shūgetsu, Bearing theKyosen (巨川) seal of thefirst state of the print, 1766
• 
  Without seal, and with altered details
• 
  Fūryū Zashiki Hakkei version, 1769

Kyōdai no shūgetsu (鏡台の秋月, "Harvest moon of the mirror stand") parodiesHarvest Moon over Dongting Lake (洞庭秋月Dōtei shūgetsu).^[37] The print depicts a hairdresser doing up the hair of a young girl in a long-sleeved kimono with a pattern of plovers flying over waves, which perhaps alludes to the surface ofDongting Lake. The floweringJapanese pampas grass indicates an autumn scene,^[69] and the round mirror before them alludes to the autumnalharvest moon.^[63] With the young woman's face reflecting in the mirror,Haruo Shirane sees further allusion toŌmi Hakkei'sIshiyama Shūgetsu, which traditionally has the harvest moon atIshiyama Temple reflect off Lake Biwa.^[70]

In theFūryū Zashiki Hakkei version a husband, smoking a pipe, embraces his half-naked wife from behind, pulls at her kimono,^[65] and fondles her genitals^[70] as she applies makeup. Her eyebrows are unshaved, which indicates she is newly wed and has not yet had a child. An amulet for a paper charm dangles from her neck. The mirror before her alludes to the moon inThe Moon in Autumn on Dongting Lake.^[65] Anadeshiko fringed pink [ja] grows in a potter on the veranda, which suggests the wordnadeshiko, meaning "a child who is caressed", but used to mean "the woman I love" in ancientwaka poetry.^[71] The nadeshiko fringed pink was also a traditional symbol of a beautiful, desirable woman.^[13] To Hayakawa, the woman's body partly covered by the kimono is an allusion to the accompanying poem's "mid-autumn full moon ... hidden in the clouds".^[72] The wordutena puns on the homophones forpedestal^[y] and thecalyx^[z] of a flower, a traditional metaphor for the female genitals; thus the moon climbing theutena can be read as the man mounting the woman.^[70] To Shirane, the opening and closing "Moon of an autumn evening" in the poem creates a "mirror effect" appropriate to the image of the mirror.^[70]

• 
  Andon no sekishō, 1766
• 
  Fūryū Zashiki Hakkei version, 1769
• 
  FromFuryū Iro Hakkei,Nishikawa Sukenobu, 1715

Andon no sekishō (行燈の夕照, "Evening Glow of the Lamp") parodiesFishing Village in the Evening Glow (漁村夕照Gyoson sekishō).^[37]

The print depicts an autumn scene with coloured leaves on the trees in the background.^[73] A woman—likely a nobleman's wife—in a short-sleeved black kimono with itsobi tied in the front, an old-fashioned style at the time.^[69] She reads a letter in the rapidly sinking sun as her daughter readies theandon paper lamp. The artificial lamplight alludes to the sunset and the water outside to the fishing village ofThe Fishing Village in the Evening Glow.^[73]

In theFūryū Zashiki Hakkei version a woman, carrying anandon lamp and identifiable as pregnant by theiwataobi sash around her belly, walks in on her husband having sex with another woman, likely a housemaid.^[74] The wife's expression is of anger, the husband's of surprise, and the other woman's of ecstasy. Hayakawa identifies themitate with setting sun ofThe Fishing Village in the Evening Glow as the waning passion of the husband for his wife during her pregnancy.^[75] Harunobu appears to have appropriated the positioning of the copulating figures from the eighth page of Sukenobu'sFuryū Iro Hakkei of 1715 for theFūryū Zashiki Hakkei.^[61]

• 
  Daisu no yau, 1766
• 
  Astate ofDaisu no yau with an embossed background
• 
  Fūryū Zashiki Hakkei version, 1769

Daisu no yau (台子の夜雨, "Night rain on thedaisu") parodiesRain at Night on the Xiaoxiang (瀟湘夜雨Shōshō yau).^[37]

Harunobu sets the print in thetea room of amachiya merchant's home.^[77] A teapot and other items are set out on adaisu tea utensil stand, before which dozes a young girl as she sits. A young boy appears about to play some mischief with her hair while another girl in a long-sleeved kimono smiles at it behind him.^[78] Hayakawa and others sees themitate as the sound of boiling water in the pot representing the rain inRain at Night on the Xiaoxiang.^[29][78]

In theFūryū Zashiki Hakkei version a man has forcible sex with a woman holding a piece ofkaishi paper used in thetea ceremony. From between theshōji peeps a woman with a hand to her mouth in surprise. She has shaved eyebrows, signifying she has already given birth and thus is likely the man's wife. The boiling teapot again to Hayakawa represents the "sound of rain on the wooden floor" in the accompanying poem; he further speculates the sound of rain represents the unease the woman feels at her husband's waning passion for her.^[79]

• 
  Tenuguikake no kihan, 1766
• 
  EroticFūryū Zashiki Hakkei version, 1769
• 
  FromNanshoku Yamaji no Tsuyu,Nishikawa Sukenobu, 1715

Tenuguikake no kihan (手拭いかけの帰帆, "Returning sails of the towel rack") parodiesShip Returning from a Distant Bay (遠浦帰帆Enpo kihan).^[37] Towels blowing in the breeze from a towel rack on the veranda of a tea room in the print allude to the returning sailing ships. Beside it the mistress of the house is using a bucket meant for washing the hands and face; her kimono is patterned with riversidethreeleaf arrowheads, a plant associated with summer. A housemaid sits inside sewing; anuchiwa hand fan lies on the floor beside her.^[81]

AJapanese rock garden lies outside in the background of theFūryū Zashiki Hakkei version, in which a middle-aged man has his beard plucked by a young woman. The man has one arm around the woman and reaches for her kimono as they kiss.^[82] Hayakawa assumes the young woman is the man's mistress, and interprets her as the "distant bay" to whom the older man "returns", or as the male ship pulling into the female harbour.^[83]

Harunobu appears to have appropriated background and the positioning of the copulating figures from the final volume of Sukenobu'sNanshoku Yamaji no Tsuyu ofc. 1733 for theFūryū Zashiki Hakkei. This includes details such as the reflection of the couple's faces in a round mirror and a garden in the background with stepping stones and a bamboo gate.[84]

Torii Kiyonaga produced two series based on Harunobu'sZashiki Hakkei.^[86] The first wasFūryū Zashiki Hakkei inc. 1777, and of the two series more closely follows the arrangement of figures in Harunobu'sZashiki Hakkei (not Harunobu'sFūryū Zashiki Hakkei), but with the hairstyles and clothing altered to current fashions.[87] The prints include the poems from Harunobu'sFūryū Zashiki Hakkei, with minor differences in orthography.^[36] Kiyonobu produced another, differentZashiki Hakkei inc. 1778.[86]

TheZashiki Hakkei theme appears to have become popular, and other artists designed their own versions, sometimes incorporating the poems fromFūryū Zashiki Hakkei.^[36]Isoda Koryūsai produced two series in the early 1770s titledFūryū Zashiki Hakkei—onechūban-sized, the otherhashira-e pillar prints—but he does not appear to have based them directly on Harunobu's. Other artists who produced prints on the theme includeUtamaro.^[86]

• Other artist's versions ofZashiki Hakkei
• 
  Kyōdai no shūgetsu,Koryūsai,c. 1770–72
• 
  Kyōdai no shūgetsu,Kiyonaga,c. 1777
• 
  Sensu no seiran, Kiyonaga,c. 1778
• 
  Karasaki yau,^[ab] fromTōsei Zashiki Hakkei,^[ac]Utamaro,c. late 18th century

• Media related toZashiki hakkei at Wikimedia Commons
• Media related toFūryū zashiki hakkei at Wikimedia Commons

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