The Hundred Poets Compared

by Henk Herwig

The Hundred Poets Compared is about a 100-print series made by three famous Ukiyo-e artists of the 19th century: Kuniyoshi, Hiroshige, and Kunisada. Each print compares one of the poems from the most-beloved collection of Japanese poetry, The One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each (Hyakunin Isshu), with a scene from Japanese history or theatre. Begun during the repressive Tenpô Reforms, the series includes many surreptitious portraits of popular actors. Herwig and Mostow explain each episode depicted and its connection to its particular poem, providing a translation of the commentary text on each print and the identification of actors and performances. This work will be welcome to Ukiyo-e collectors and scholars, as well as those interested in Kabuki and Japanese legends.