Sugawara Michizane in Exile

Kiyochika often infused his depictions of Japanese historical subjects with novel expressiveness and verisimilitude. The title identifies the subject as Sugawara no Michizane (845-903), a renowned scholar, politician, poet, and calligrapher. He once held a high position, but was slandered by his rivals at court and was expelled to a remote region. Inspired by a poem by Michizane that was composed while at his distant post, Kiyochika designed this print showing him in exile. The courtier twists believably in space as he scans the horizon, and the shoreline below him recedes convincingly into space. The desolate beach and empty sea, bearing no ship to fetch him, well conveys his psychological state.