Sugawara Michizane Going into Exile

Sugawara Michizane Going into Exile — Suzuki Harunobu. c. 1763/64.

Medium: Color woodblock print; hosoban, mizu-e. Dimensions: 31 × 14.2 cm (12 1/8 × 5 1/2 in.).

Collection record: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

Through the efforts of the Fujiwara clan, Sugawara Michizane was discredited in the eyes of Emperor Daigo and ordered to assume a post in remote Kyushu. Here, he is seated on an ox. According to the long cartouche on the right, Michizane gazes over the sea and waning moon, reflecting that he cannot see the moon that shines on the capital. He died in remote Dazaifu in 903. Because of his reputation as a scholar and accomplished poet in both Chinese and Japanese, a Shinto festival soon began to take place at his tomb in the eighth month of each year.

Description: © Art Institute of Chicago, original record, CC BY 4.0. HTML formatting removed; wording retained. Other artwork metadata: CC0.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.