Description: Right-hand section of the triptych Narihira ason hatsu kanmuri yatsushi 業平朝臣初冠略 - A Parody of the Maturity Test of Prince Narihira Original woodblock print, published around 1796/1798. Signature: ôju Eishô zu. Press: Izumiya Ichibei (Kansendyô). Censor's seal: Kiwame The rudimentary characters on the right edge are illegible and prevent the identification of the press. In order to solve the riddle with such sparse evidence, one needs a fine artistic sense and comprehensive specialized knowledge of Japanese woodblock prints. Ariwara no Narihira (825-880) was one of the six great poet wisemen of classic antiquity in Japan. He is the subject of many legends and was considered an ideal of masculine beauty. It is said that he had countless romantic adventures and was the model for Prince Genji in Murasaki Shikibu's Genji monogatari. Condition: Faded, but in good condition Provenance: From an Austrian private collection, purchased in the Galerie Zacke in the 1990s (old label)