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Torii Kiyonaga

Ono no Komachi, from the series A Collection of Fashionable Beauties of Japan (Wakoku bijin ryaku shu)

Edo period (1615–1868), n.d.
Color woodblock print; chuban
26.6 × 19.1 cm (10.5 × 7.5 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

A beautiful young woman fixes her hairstyle in the mirror, while an older woman’s thoughts are expressed in the poem above: If only I could grow old without changing my appearance, I would not mind the limit of my life. (Translation by Chie Hirano) Ono no Komachi often lamented the inevitability of aging in her poems, and her story is closely associated with the idea of fleeting beauty. The cherry blossoms in the vase on the veranda symbolize impermanence due to their short lifespans, reinforcing the notion that exquisiteness is not everlasting.

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