Kiyohime and the bell of Dо̄jо̄ji

Unknown · 1796

Colour woodblock print, Kiyohime and the bell of Dо̄jо̄ji designed by an unknown artist and created by the printmaker Toen, printed in Japan, 1796. Egoyomi (picture calendar) print. Picture calendar print (egoyomi) for the year Kansei 8 (1796), a Dragon Year. The numbers for the short months—1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10—are featured on the roundels of Kiyohime’s robe. Kiyohime famously transformed into a serpent under the bell of Dōjōji when her love for a priest was unrequited: an appropriate subject for a Dragon Year. The placard beside Kiyohime should (according to the story) be inscribed 'kinsei' or 'forbidden', but instead playfully reads 'Kansei' - the name of the era in which the print was made.