In this print, sophisticated use of soft lines, rounded forms, dark sky, and subtle tones convey the utter silence and weariness of the figures as they trudge through the night-time snow near Kambara.
Subject Matter
This print is said to be the best in the series, and among Hiroshige's finest work. The scene conveys a sense of silence, and weariness. The villagers hunch under the weight of their loads, the snow and cold, and the night sky.
Label Copy
Among many series depicting the Tôkaidô Road, the Hôeidô edition was the first and considered the masterpiece. Hiroshige’s sophisticated use of soft lines, rounded forms, dark sky, and subtle tones convey the utter silence and weariness of the figures, making this one of the artist’s finest works among the fifty-five prints in this popular series.
UMMA owns four impressions of this print, none from the first impression. Each is different, with variations resulting from different manipulations of the same block, revealing both the skill and taste of the printmaker. In the case of Night Snow at Kambara, we know that the first impression has a heavily inked area at the upper portion of the sky. Here, the printer wiped off part of the dark pigment to prevent the dark sky from obscuring the title of the work, thereby lessening the dramatic effect somewhat.
exhibited summer 2010
Hiroshige is often considered the master of landscape prints. The Fifty-three Stations of the Eastern Sea Route series, to which this print belongs, made him famous. The Tokaido, or "Eastern Sea Route," stretched from Edo (present day Tokyo) to Kyoto with fifty-three stopping places. Hiroshige's sophisticated use of soft lines, rounded forms, dark sky, and subtle tones convey the utter silence and weariness of the figures, making this one of the artist's finest works.
The Museum owns four impressions of this print, none from the first impression. Variations came from manipulations of the same blocks, depending upon the skill and taste of the printer. In this case, the first impression has a heavily inked area at the upper portion of the sky. Wiping off part of the darker pigment, the printer created the gradation effect. Had the dark sky descended too far, the title would have been covered. The sky appears only in a flat grey that reduces the dramatic effect.
During the second or third impression the printer remedied this effect by moving the heavily inked area to the lower portion behind the hills and trees, creating a far more impressive night scene with a stronger contrast. While the original first impression has sharper lines, the alternative impression is more dramatic for reproduction.
Of the Museum's four prints, 1948/1.122 is the earliest impression, followed by .124 and .123. In the latest version, .125, the troublesome gradations are almost omitted, with the sky appearing only in flat gray. By this time, however, the original blocks were no longer complete, and the footprints totally disappeared, greatly reducing both the snow and night effects.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
In this print, sophisticated use of soft lines, rounded forms, dark sky, and subtle tones convey the utter silence and weariness of the figures as they trudge through the night-time snow near Kambara.
Subject Matter
This print is said to be the best in the series, and among Hiroshige's finest work. The scene conveys a sense of silence, and weariness. The villagers hunch under the weight of their loads, the snow and cold, and the night sky.
Label Copy
Among many series depicting the Tôkaidô Road, the Hôeidô edition was the first and considered the masterpiece. Hiroshige’s sophisticated use of soft lines, rounded forms, dark sky, and subtle tones convey the utter silence and weariness of the figures, making this one of the artist’s finest works among the fifty-five prints in this popular series.
UMMA owns four impressions of this print, none from the first impression. Each is different, with variations resulting from different manipulations of the same block, revealing both the skill and taste of the printmaker. In the case of Night Snow at Kambara, we know that the first impression has a heavily inked area at the upper portion of the sky. Here, the printer wiped off part of the dark pigment to prevent the dark sky from obscuring the title of the work, thereby lessening the dramatic effect somewhat.
exhibited summer 2010
Hiroshige is often considered the master of landscape prints. The Fifty-three Stations of the Eastern Sea Route series, to which this print belongs, made him famous. The Tokaido, or "Eastern Sea Route," stretched from Edo (present day Tokyo) to Kyoto with fifty-three stopping places. Hiroshige's sophisticated use of soft lines, rounded forms, dark sky, and subtle tones convey the utter silence and weariness of the figures, making this one of the artist's finest works.
The Museum owns four impressions of this print, none from the first impression. Variations came from manipulations of the same blocks, depending upon the skill and taste of the printer. In this case, the first impression has a heavily inked area at the upper portion of the sky. Wiping off part of the darker pigment, the printer created the gradation effect. Had the dark sky descended too far, the title would have been covered. The sky appears only in a flat grey that reduces the dramatic effect.
During the second or third impression the printer remedied this effect by moving the heavily inked area to the lower portion behind the hills and trees, creating a far more impressive night scene with a stronger contrast. While the original first impression has sharper lines, the alternative impression is more dramatic for reproduction.
Of the Museum's four prints, 1948/1.122 is the earliest impression, followed by .124 and .123. In the latest version, .125, the troublesome gradations are almost omitted, with the sky appearing only in flat gray. By this time, however, the original blocks were no longer complete, and the footprints totally disappeared, greatly reducing both the snow and night effects.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
The snowy mass of Mount Hira rises behind a snow-covered village and clumps of bamboo by an inlet of Lake Biwa. The attendant poem:
He who would see the beauty of the evening on the peaks of
Hira must behold it after the snows have fallen and before the
flowers are fully blown.
Subject Matter
This print is one of eight that depicted the beauty of Ômi province, centered around Lake Biwa.
Label Copy
“Eight views,” or hakkei in Japanese, is a term traditionally associated in poetry and painting with the most beautiful scenes of a particular area. In this case Hiroshige has chosen Ômi, a province that during the Edo period was a major station along the Tôkaidô Road, famed for views of the nearby Lake Biwa. Today the area is known as Shiga prefecture, and it is Japan’s sister state to Michigan.
In this image a snow-covered village and clumps of bamboo along an inlet of Lake Biwa are dwarfed by the snowy mass of Mount Hira. Dark silhouettes of travelers, perhaps along the Tôkaidô Road, can be seen trudging through the snow along the edge of
the village. A poem focuses the attention of the viewers:
He who would see the beauty of the evening on the peaks of Hira must behold it after the snows have fallen and before the flowers are fully blown.
exhibited summer 2010
The snowy mass of Mount Hira rises behind a snow-covered village and clumps of bamboo by an inlet of Lake Biwa. The attendant poem:
He who would see the beauty of the evening on the peaks of
Hira must behold it after the snows have fallen and before the
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Vertical lines stream downward across the print indicated torrents of rain. The dark color pallette and black strip across the top indicate that the image is set at night. A giant pine looms over the image.
Subject Matter
This print is one of eight that depicted the beauty of Ômi province, centered around Lake Biwa.
Label Copy
The subtle tones and economical means in this print exemplify Hiroshige’s mastery of mood and atmosphere. The view of the great pine is almost blotted out by the heavy rain.
In some prints this pine is rendered a deep green, while here it is an ominous mass of blacks and grays. Since this series of prints was marketed as one executed with muted tones in a monochromatic style, this print is most likely from the collection released for sale to the public. It is likely that the greener versions were experimental printings that Hiroshige decided did not achieve his desired effect or would not sell as well.
In the upper left corner a poem completes the mood:
Elsewhere will they talk of the music of the evening breeze that has made the pine of Karasaki famous; the voice of the wind is not heard through the sound of the rain in the night.
exhibited summer 2010
The subtle tones and economical means in this print exemplify Hiroshige’s mastery of mood and atmosphere. His far-reaching influence touched the French Impressionists’ style. The view of the great pine is almost blotted out by the heavy rain. The attendant poem:
Elsewhere will they talk of the music of the evening breeze
that has made the pine of Karasaki famous; the voice of the
wind is not heard through the sound of the rain in the night.
Inscription
Signed: Hiroshige ga; Publisher's Seal: Eisendo; "Kiwane" seal in margin.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
The pyramid shaped hills in the background of this print are those of the boiling houses and salt piles of Gyôtoku’s salt industry. A ferry boat, or watashi-bune, carries passengers in the foreground of this picture. In this print a shipman steers using the large rudder located in the back of the boat.
Subject Matter
Salt was an important commodity during the Edo period. It was used in a number of rituals and as a method of purification: to this day salt is used to purify the sumo ring before the beginning of a match. One of the most important uses of salt was in the preservation of food, in particular fish. In Edo the price of salt was high, as the long, flat, hard-packed beaches at Gyôtoku were one of the only places in the area suitable for harvesting this precious resource.
The pyramid shaped hills in the background of this print are those of the boiling houses and salt piles of Gyôtoku’s unique industry. Gyôtoku was also the final destination for many ferry boats that ran along the network of Edo canals. One such boat, or watashi-bune, carries passengers in the foreground of this picture. It was typical for two shipmen to pilot these ferries. In this print one steers using the large rudder located in the back of the boat. Long bamboo poles were also used to pilot watashi-bune through shallow waters.
Label Copy
Salt was an important commodity during the Edo period. It was used in a number of rituals and as a method of purification. One of the most important uses of salt was
in the preservation of food, in particular fish. The long, flat, hard-packed beaches at Gyôtoku were one of the few places around the capital suitable for harvesting this precious resource. The salt piles and boiling houses associated with this industry are depicted here.
Gyôtoku was also the final destination for many ferry boats that ran along an extensive network of canals. In the foreground of this print, one such boat carries passengers. A boatman steers using the large rudder located in the back of the boat. Long bamboo poles were also used to pilot watashi-bune through shallow waters.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Harunobu was a major ukiyo-e print artist. Although his role in the technical development of full-color prints has often been exaggerated, there is no doubt that he ranks among the greatest geniuses of Japanese woodblock print artists. He is said to have studied first under Shigenaga (ca. 1697–1756), but his early prints are in the Torii and Toyonobu manner. He designed a few actor prints in his youth, but shunned them as soon as he had reached his maturity. Instead, he turned his brush to the portrayal of dainty women. Most of his prints are a small, almost square, half-plate size, and are the earliest examples in which background is introduced.
By 1762, Harunobu had already developed his unique style, which was soon to dominate the ukiyo-e world. Two years later, he was commissioned to execute a number of designs for calendar prints for the coming year. Various noted literati of Edo contributed designs and ideas, and the printers outdid themselves to produce technically unusual work. From this combination of talents was born the nishiki-e (brocade picture) or full-color print; formerly only two or three colors had been featured. These prints were issued at New Year, 1765. The designs are a bit harsher than the more supple work of Harunobu’s maturity, but we can already see here the spirit of parody and lyricism that was to characterize his later work.
Though we know nothing about Harunobu’s formal education, he was certainly one of the most literate ukiyo-e designers. On many of his prints, verses and design are wedded in a happy combination seldom seen before or after. But whatever the literary or legendary implications of Harunobu’s prints, it is their color and their wonderful ideal of femininity, their great beauty and charm, that remain in the viewer’s mind after all else is forgotten.
A young woman hurries across a bridge, using one of her sleeves to shield her head from the strong wind. Plants around her bend in the force of the wind, and tree branches lose their leaves. An Uta poem by Bunya-no-Yasuhide graces the top register.
Subject Matter
The subject matter of this print is the autumn wind, demonstrated by the flowing sleeves of a young woman and the waving branches of a nearby tree. An Uta poem by Bunya-no-Yasuhide at the top describes the melancholy feeling when the wind from the mountain blows the leaves off the trees in the fall.
Label Copy
The subject matter of this print is the autumn wind. A young woman hurries through the wind, using one of her sleeves to shield her head. An Uta poem by Bunya-no-Yasuhide at the top describes the melancholy feeling when the wind from the mountain blows the leaves off the trees in the fall.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Utamaro owed his greatest artistic debt to Kiyonaga (1752–1815). He added a strong element of eroticism and an intuitive grasp of female psychology to Kiyonaga’s graceful, lifelike portrayals of women. Like Harunobu, Utamaro was a great master of ukiyo-e in the portrayal of femininity and love, but the two had different approaches. In addition to his figure studies of women, Utamaro also drew landscapes, birds, animals, and flower studies, and a large number of book illustrations. (MW)
He had numerous pupils and followers who may be classed as the Toriyama school, taking the name from Toriyama Skiyen, the teacher of Utamaro. Many prints signed Utamaro are undoubtedly the work of his pupils, and it is sometimes difficult to distinguish them.
The kneeling figure in the foreground is grand courtesan Hinatsuru. Her kamuro (attendant) is arranging a vase of chrysanthemums beside her. The circular inset contains a poet and his poem addressed to the two of them:
In its wake
The autumn grasses wither.
Indeed, the mountain wind
Has now become a gale.
Subject Matter
In this print designed as an advertisement poster for the tea-house, the grand courtesan, Hinatsuru, which means “young crane,” and her kamuro (attendant) are depicted as elegant and desirable beauties. The circular inset contains a poet and his poem addressed to the two of them:
In its wake
The autumn grasses wither.
Indeed, the mountain wind
Has now become a gale.
Label Copy
The kneeling figure in the foreground is the grand courtesan, Hinatsuru, which means “young crane.” Her kamuro (attendant) is arranging a vase of chrysanthemums. The circular inset contains a poet and his poem addressed to the two of them:
In its wake
The autumn grasses wither.
Indeed, the mountain wind
Has now become a gale.
This print was designed as an advertisement poster for the tea-house.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Utamaro owed his greatest artistic debt to Kiyonaga (1752–1815). He added a strong element of eroticism and an intuitive grasp of female psychology to Kiyonaga’s graceful, lifelike portrayals of women. Like Harunobu, Utamaro was a great master of ukiyo-e in the portrayal of femininity and love, but the two had different approaches. In addition to his figure studies of women, Utamaro also drew landscapes, birds, animals, and flower studies, and a large number of book illustrations. (MW)
He had numerous pupils and followers who may be classed as the Toriyama school, taking the name from Toriyama Skiyen, the teacher of Utamaro. Many prints signed Utamaro are undoubtedly the work of his pupils, and it is sometimes difficult to distinguish them.
This triptych shows courtesans in a garden of Yoshiwara under flowering trees. The inscribed names allow us to identify the women as courtesans of the Matsubaya House, centered on the grand courtesan Yoso’oi (in the central triptych, with the dragon-design obi). Flanking her on either side are two shinzô apprentices, and at the right, two kamuro or child attendants.
The courtesans at left interact with a puppet of the actor Ichikawa Danjûrô VI in his role as Sukeroku. The bearded older man in the center is the villain Hige no Ikyû, Sukeroku’s rival for the affections of the courtesan Agemaki.
Subject Matter
In the realm of the kabuki theatre, nothing was what it appeared to be. Women were played by male actors, noblemen were played by the lowest caste, and stories that seemed to be set in distant history were trenchant commentaries on current affairs. The Edo audience delighted in double and triple entendre, and in the specialized know-ledge of the cognoscenti. Utamaro caters to that taste here.
At first glance, this print appears to be a conventional representation of the attractions of Yoshiwara. The inscribed names allow us to identify the women as courtesans of the Matsubaya House, centered on the grand courtesan Yoso’oi.
But this scene is more than a group portrait of a bevy of beauties; it is also a parody of a famous love triangle in the kabuki theatre. Theatre fans would recognize the puppet at left as an image of the actor Ichikawa Danjûrô VI in his role as Sukeroku, a swashbuckling avenger of the oppressed. That allows us in turn to identify the bearded older man in the center as the villain Hige no Ikyû, Sukeroku’s rival for the affections of the courtesan Agemaki.
Label Copy
In the realm of the kabuki theatre, nothing was what it appeared to be. Women were played by male actors, noblemen were played by the lowest caste, and stories that seemed to be set in distant history were trenchant commentaries on current affairs. The Edo audience delighted in double and triple entendre, and in the specialized know-ledge of the cognoscenti. Utamaro caters to that taste here.
At first glance, this print appears to be a conventional representation of the attractions of Yoshiwara. The inscribed names allow us to identify the women as courtesans of the Matsubaya House, centered on the grand courtesan Yoso’oi (in the central triptych, with the dragon-design obi). Flanking her on either side are two shinzô apprentices, and at the right, two charming little kamuro or child attendants. By comparing the names with contemporary tourist guides to Yoshiwara, we can date the print to the spring of 1798.
But this scene is more than a group portrait of a bevy of beauties; it is also a parody of a famous love triangle in the kabuki theatre. Theatre fans would recognize the puppet at left as an image of the actor Ichikawa Danjûrô VI in his role as Sukeroku, a swashbuckling avenger of the oppressed. That allows us in turn to identify the bearded older man in the center as the villain Hige no Ikyû, Sukeroku’s rival for the affections of the courtesan Agemaki. … or is she Yoso’oi?
M. Graybill
"Courtesans, Cross-Dressers, and the Girl Next Door Images of the Feminine in Japanese Popular Prints"
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Utamaro owed his greatest artistic debt to Kiyonaga (1752–1815). He added a strong element of eroticism and an intuitive grasp of female psychology to Kiyonaga’s graceful, lifelike portrayals of women. Like Harunobu, Utamaro was a great master of ukiyo-e in the portrayal of femininity and love, but the two had different approaches. In addition to his figure studies of women, Utamaro also drew landscapes, birds, animals, and flower studies, and a large number of book illustrations. (MW)
He had numerous pupils and followers who may be classed as the Toriyama school, taking the name from Toriyama Skiyen, the teacher of Utamaro. Many prints signed Utamaro are undoubtedly the work of his pupils, and it is sometimes difficult to distinguish them.
This triptych shows courtesans in a garden of Yoshiwara under flowering trees. The inscribed names allow us to identify the women as courtesans of the Matsubaya House, centered on the grand courtesan Yoso’oi (in the central triptych, with the dragon-design obi). Flanking her on either side are two shinzô apprentices, and at the right, two kamuro or child attendants.
The courtesans at left interact with a puppet of the actor Ichikawa Danjûrô VI in his role as Sukeroku. The bearded older man in the center is the villain Hige no Ikyû, Sukeroku’s rival for the affections of the courtesan Agemaki.
Subject Matter
In the realm of the kabuki theatre, nothing was what it appeared to be. Women were played by male actors, noblemen were played by the lowest caste, and stories that seemed to be set in distant history were trenchant commentaries on current affairs. The Edo audience delighted in double and triple entendre, and in the specialized know-ledge of the cognoscenti. Utamaro caters to that taste here.
At first glance, this print appears to be a conventional representation of the attractions of Yoshiwara. The inscribed names allow us to identify the women as courtesans of the Matsubaya House, centered on the grand courtesan Yoso’oi.
But this scene is more than a group portrait of a bevy of beauties; it is also a parody of a famous love triangle in the kabuki theatre. Theatre fans would recognize the puppet at left as an image of the actor Ichikawa Danjûrô VI in his role as Sukeroku, a swashbuckling avenger of the oppressed. That allows us in turn to identify the bearded older man in the center as the villain Hige no Ikyû, Sukeroku’s rival for the affections of the courtesan Agemaki.
Label Copy
In the realm of the kabuki theatre, nothing was what it appeared to be. Women were played by male actors, noblemen were played by the lowest caste, and stories that seemed to be set in distant history were trenchant commentaries on current affairs. The Edo audience delighted in double and triple entendre, and in the specialized know-ledge of the cognoscenti. Utamaro caters to that taste here.
At first glance, this print appears to be a conventional representation of the attractions of Yoshiwara. The inscribed names allow us to identify the women as courtesans of the Matsubaya House, centered on the grand courtesan Yoso’oi (in the central triptych, with the dragon-design obi). Flanking her on either side are two shinzô apprentices, and at the right, two charming little kamuro or child attendants. By comparing the names with contemporary tourist guides to Yoshiwara, we can date the print to the spring of 1798.
But this scene is more than a group portrait of a bevy of beauties; it is also a parody of a famous love triangle in the kabuki theatre. Theatre fans would recognize the puppet at left as an image of the actor Ichikawa Danjûrô VI in his role as Sukeroku, a swashbuckling avenger of the oppressed. That allows us in turn to identify the bearded older man in the center as the villain Hige no Ikyû, Sukeroku’s rival for the affections of the courtesan Agemaki. So are we watching a playful enactment of a kabuki drama, with Sukeroku, Ikyû, and Agemaki? Or is the artist implying that the actor Danjûrô is vying with a wealthy merchant to become Yoso’oi’s lover?
Maribeth Graybill, Senior Curator of Asian Art
"Courtesans, Cross-Dressers and the Girl Next Door: Images of the Feminine in Japanese Popular Prints"
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Utamaro owed his greatest artistic debt to Kiyonaga (1752–1815). He added a strong element of eroticism and an intuitive grasp of female psychology to Kiyonaga’s graceful, lifelike portrayals of women. Like Harunobu, Utamaro was a great master of ukiyo-e in the portrayal of femininity and love, but the two had different approaches. In addition to his figure studies of women, Utamaro also drew landscapes, birds, animals, and flower studies, and a large number of book illustrations. (MW)
He had numerous pupils and followers who may be classed as the Toriyama school, taking the name from Toriyama Skiyen, the teacher of Utamaro. Many prints signed Utamaro are undoubtedly the work of his pupils, and it is sometimes difficult to distinguish them.
This triptych shows courtesans in a garden of Yoshiwara under flowering trees. The inscribed names allow us to identify the women as courtesans of the Matsubaya House, centered on the grand courtesan Yoso’oi (in the central triptych, with the dragon-design obi). Flanking her on either side are two shinzô apprentices, and at the right, two kamuro or child attendants.
The courtesans at left interact with a puppet of the actor Ichikawa Danjûrô VI in his role as Sukeroku. The bearded older man in the center is the villain Hige no Ikyû, Sukeroku’s rival for the affections of the courtesan Agemaki.
Subject Matter
In the realm of the kabuki theatre, nothing was what it appeared to be. Women were played by male actors, noblemen were played by the lowest caste, and stories that seemed to be set in distant history were trenchant commentaries on current affairs. The Edo audience delighted in double and triple entendre, and in the specialized know-ledge of the cognoscenti. Utamaro caters to that taste here.
At first glance, this print appears to be a conventional representation of the attractions of Yoshiwara. The inscribed names allow us to identify the women as courtesans of the Matsubaya House, centered on the grand courtesan Yoso’oi.
But this scene is more than a group portrait of a bevy of beauties; it is also a parody of a famous love triangle in the kabuki theatre. Theatre fans would recognize the puppet at left as an image of the actor Ichikawa Danjûrô VI in his role as Sukeroku, a swashbuckling avenger of the oppressed. That allows us in turn to identify the bearded older man in the center as the villain Hige no Ikyû, Sukeroku’s rival for the affections of the courtesan Agemaki.
Label Copy
In the realm of the kabuki theatre, nothing was what it appeared to be. Women were played by male actors, noblemen were played by the lowest caste, and stories that seemed to be set in distant history were trenchant commentaries on current affairs. The Edo audience delighted in double and triple entendre, and in the specialized know-ledge of the cognoscenti. Utamaro caters to that taste here.
At first glance, this print appears to be a conventional representation of the attractions of Yoshiwara. The inscribed names allow us to identify the women as courtesans of the Matsubaya House, centered on the grand courtesan Yoso’oi (in the central triptych, with the dragon-design obi). Flanking her on either side are two shinzô apprentices, and at the right, two charming little kamuro or child attendants. By comparing the names with contemporary tourist guides to Yoshiwara, we can date the print to the spring of 1798.
But this scene is more than a group portrait of a bevy of beauties; it is also a parody of a famous love triangle in the kabuki theatre. Theatre fans would recognize the puppet at left as an image of the actor Ichikawa Danjûrô VI in his role as Sukeroku, a swashbuckling avenger of the oppressed. That allows us in turn to identify the bearded older man in the center as the villain Hige no Ikyû, Sukeroku’s rival for the affections of the courtesan Agemaki. So are we watching a playful enactment of a kabuki drama, with Sukeroku, Ikyû, and Agemaki? Or is the artist implying that the actor Danjûrô is vying with a wealthy merchant to become Yoso’oi’s lover?
Maribeth Graybill, Senior Curator of Asian Art
"Courtesans, Cross-Dressers and the Girl Next Door: Images of the Feminine in Japanese Popular Prints"
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Masanobu seems to have been self-taught. His long life (ca. 1686-1764) spans the period from the early black and white prints and the great hand-colored tan-e through the urushi-e or "lacquer prints," to the benizuri-e or "rose-printed prints" that precede the development of full-color printing. In addition he worked in practically all the experimental ukiyo-e forms of the first half of the 18th century (and may have invented several of them): triptychs, bust portraits, large perspective prints, elongated pillar prints, the early landscape and flower and bird prints.
He was undoubtedly the greatest Japanese master of the album. Ukiyo-e albums were a series of a dozen horizontal prints on a given theme. They were folded in the middle and bound together for convenience. Masanobu was a literary amateur of some skill. The retelling of the Tale of Genji in modern terms, illustrated and published in three series of six volumes each around the year 1707, was one of these literary-artistic efforts.
Besides albums, Masanobu designed large prints of female figures and was a master of ukiyo-e painting. He created a sentient ideal of feminine beauty that was to inspire ukiyo-e throughout its existence. His paintings are among the most visually brilliant, gemlike works in Japanese art.
A monochrome print depicting two standing women and a reclining man in a room. The taller woman, a courtesan, wears an elaborate kimono of butterfly design and under-kimono of geometric patterns; her hair is tied on the back, wearing tortoise shell comb and hairpin. She is holding skirts of kimono and under-kimono with her right hand and is hiding her left hand under the kimono. The second woman, an attendant, is standing behind the courtesan, holding a doll of a boy and her face turning away. She wears a plain kimono with pine tree design and obi (sash) with striped patterns. The man is reclining and looking toward the courtesan. They seem to engage in conversation. The man wears kimono with design of coins and short jacket with plaid patterns. His hair is shaved on top and tied on the back. There is a folded screen behind him, depicting a plum tree by river. In front of him, there are a sake pitcher, sake cup and its stand, and a bowl with food accompanied by a tray and chopsticks. There is a title of the print in cartouche at upper right.
Subject Matter
The cartouche at upper right identifies the scene as an illustration of the first chapter of the Tale of Genji, a court romance written in the early eleventh century by Murasaki Shikibu (In fact, this print is one of a series, with 54 scenes for each chapter in the novel.) The core moment in the chapter is when the child Genji is introduced to a seer, who forecasts his future. Here, in a playful modernization of that august topic, we appear to witness the first encounter of a courtesan and her customer. The boy doll in the attndant's hands may refer to child Genji.
Label Copy
March 28, 2009
In this print, the cartouche at upper right identifies the scene as an illustration of the first chapter of The Tale of Genji, a court romance written in the early eleventh century. The core moment in the Kiritsubo chapter is when the child Genji is introduced to a seer, who forecasts his future. Here, in a playful modernization of this august topic, we witness the first encounter of a courtesan and her customer. The large-boned figures, the hairstyles, and the bold overall patterns on the costumes are reminiscent of Kaigetsudô prints of the 1710s (on view nearby), but in this example there is greater narrative at the expense of monumentality.
Okumura Masanobu was the first Japanese print artist to make extensive use of mitate (literary parody or allusion) as one of his marketing tactics; his success testifies to the literary sophistication of the Edo audience.
(Label for UMMA Japanese Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Two geisha (itinerant musicians) are shown strolling in the countryside, with the roof of Benten Shintô shrine in the distance. The backdrop is the rising sun—the give-away that this is a New Year’s print—seen over distant mountains and a calm bay. One woman stoops to empty the ashes from her pipe, while the other draws her kimono closely about her. A poem lies just above the rising sun in the top left register of the morning sky.
Subject Matter
In the final decade of the eighteenth century, there was a severe wave of government censorship against any publications—image or text—that could be construed as political satire or as detrimental to public morals. At first this crackdown had a devastating impact on print publishers and artists, who found themselves in manacles if they attempted to continue their staple products of erotica and pin-up prints of courtesans and actors. They soon rebounded, however, with new formats and new themes. One outlet for artistic genius was the surimono, the privately commissioned print that could avoid the censor’s eye. Usually issued as New Year’s greetings by members of a poetry club or clique, surimono are small in scale and richly decorated with the highest quality pigments, including metallic shades of silver, gold, and copper.
Katsushika Hokusai, who is best known in the West for his landscape prints of Mount Fuji, evokes here a quietly nostalgic scene of two geisha (itinerant musicians) strolling in the countryside, with the roof of a Shintô shrine in the distance. The backdrop is the rising sun—the give-away that this is a New Year’s print—seen over distant mountains and a calm bay. The women seem unimpressed by nature’s display: one stoops to empty the ashes from her pipe, while the other draws her kimono closely about her, against the chill of the dawn. Apoem, possibly by Akashi tei urabito, lies above the rising sun in the top left register.
Label Copy
In the final decade of the eighteenth century, there was a severe wave of government censorship against any publications—image or text—that could be construed as political satire or as detrimental to public morals. At first this crackdown had a devastating impact on print publishers and artists, who found themselves in manacles if they attempted to continue their staple products of erotica and pin-up prints of courtesans and actors. They soon rebounded, however, with new formats and new themes. One outlet for artistic genius was the surimono, the privately commissioned print that could avoid the censor’s eye. Usually issued as New Year’s greetings by members of a poetry club or clique, surimono are small in scale and richly decorated with the highest quality pigments, including metallic shades of silver, gold, and copper.
Katsushika Hokusai, who is best known in the West for his landscape prints of Mount Fuji, evokes here a quietly nostalgic scene. Two geisha (itinerant musicians) are shown strolling in the countryside, with the roof of a Shintô shrine in the distance. The backdrop is the rising sun—the give-away that this is a New Year’s print—seen over distant mountains and a calm bay. The women seem unimpressed by nature’s display: one stoops to empty the ashes from her pipe, while the other draws her kimono closely about her, against the chill of the dawn.
M. Graybill
"Courtesans, Cross-Dressers, and the Girl Next Door Images of the Feminine in Japanese Popular Prints"
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
One of a small group of artists to work in the studio of Kaigetsudô Andô. He did paintings and prints; twelve of his print designs (all in the large "kakemono e" format) are known today.
This is a large monochrome print of a courtesan wearing kimono with iris design. The courtesan is standing with her right hand in the sleeve that she raises to her chin and left hand gathering up her kimono; Her cloak with bamboo leaf and gentian flower design is slipping off her shoulder and revealing her dark kimono with iris roundels. She has long hair; her hair is tied and draped on the back. She is looking toward the right side. There is the artist’s signature and seal, and publisher’s seal on the right.
Subject Matter
This extravagantly large print is one of a very rare series issued in Edo in the 1710s by the Kaigetsudô School of artists. Perhaps designed as inexpensive substitutes for paintings, Kaigetsudô prints invariably depict courtesans swathed in magnificent bold-patterned robes, against a plain ground. The typical Kaigetsudô courtesan is a full-bodied woman who is both seductive and yet somehow beyond our reach; for all that she is on display, she remains in her own closed-off world of reveries.
(M. Graybill, Senior Curator of Asian Art, March, 2002)
Label Copy
This large print is one from a very rare series issued in Edo in the 1710s by the Kaigetsudô school of artists. Perhaps designed as inexpensive substitutes for paintings, Kaigetsudô prints invariably depict courtesans swathed in magnificent bold-patterned robes, against a plain ground.
Here the courtesan has allowed her cloak to slip off her shoulder, displaying her iris-patterned kimono to dramatic effect. She coyly hides her right hand in the sleeve she raises to her chin, while she gathers up her robes with her left hand. The typical Kaigetsudô courtesan is a full-bodied woman who is both seductive and yet somehow beyond our reach—on display, yet in her own closed-off world.
(Label for UMMA Japanese Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Ishikawa Toyonobu, the noted ukiyo-e artist, is said to be a late name of the artist Nishimura (Magosaburo) Shigenobu. His teacher was supposed to be the distinguished artist Nishimura Shigenaga, who is listed in some sources as a student of Torii Kiyonobu I. Nevertheless, Toyonobu owed as much to Masanobu as he did to his teacher. Again, in the grand impassivity of his female figures there is something of the Kaigetsudo manner. His prints, like those by Masanobu, are remarkable for the richness of effect produced with the use of only two colors in addition to the black of the outline block. These early two-color prints are always in green and red, but the latter color is liable to turn a yellowish tint in the course of time. Toyonobu’s later work carries us into the second period when ukiyo-e artists made full use of improvements discovered in the art of color printing and brought into being the true polychrome print.
A color woodblock print of a young woman hanging a paper with poem on a cherry tree. The woman is in a kimono with intricate design of cherry blossom, hemp leaves, birds and swirls, pine trees and diamond patterns. She also wears broad obi (sash) in checkerboard patterns, which is bow- tied on her back. There is also a white sash underneath the obi, which supports her long kimono. Her hair is tied on the back and adorn with tortoise-shell comb and pin. The cherry tree is in full bloom; there is a curtain with a family crest behind the woman and the tree; a certain kind of platform with swirling vine pattern is peaking below the curtain. The overall color scheme is in yellow, orange, black and white (the color of the paper). There are artist’s signature and two seals on the right bottom corner, and smaller seal on the left bottom corner.
Subject Matter
During the Edo period, cherry blossom season was one of the few times of year when women of upper class households were permitted to enjoy outdoor amusements. The ladies and their servants would gather under the blossoms to feast on elaborate picnics and play courtly games, all concealed from public view by large curtains. In this print, the artist allows us the voyeuristic pleasure of an unhindered view of a beautiful young woman. From her gorgeous kimono of intricate patterns and expensive tortoise-shell hair accessories, it is clear that she is a daughter of a samurai family. She is shown hanging a poem card (tanzaku) on a tree just outside the curtain—perhaps a love poem intended for someone she expects to pass by.
The verse may be translated as
Once more again in love,
Once more regret--as fleeting
(Adopted from: Maribeth Graybill
“Four Seasons In Japanese Art”: Special Installation of Japanese Gallery at UMMA: Object Labels
July 5, 2003-January 4, 2004)
Label Copy
During the Edo period (1615–1867), cherry blossom season was one of the few times of year when women of upper class households were permitted to enjoy outdoor amusements. The ladies and their servants would gather under the blossoms to feast on elaborate picnics and play courtly games, all concealed from public view by large curtains.
In this print, the artist Ishikawa Toyonobu allows us the voyeuristic pleasure of an unhindered view of a beautiful young woman. From her gorgeous kimono of intricate patterns and expensive tortoise-shell hair accessories, it is clear that she is a daughter of a samurai family. She is shown hanging a poem card (tanzaku) on a tree just outside the curtain—perhaps a love poem intended for someone she expects to pass by.
The verse may be translated as
Once more again in love,
Once more regret--as fleeting
Ishikawa Toyonobu is known for his elegant depiction of beautiful women and vigorous design sense. In this print, the bold black lines of the family crest in the curtain and the checkered patterns of the girl’s sash create strong geometric patterns that work wonderfully with the sweeping curves of her kimono and the organic shape of the cherry tree.
The technique used in this print classifies it an an urushi-e, literally meaning "lacquer painting." In reality, the term indicates extra glue in the black pigment, giving it a lustrous quality. While subtle pink pigment has been applied to the cherry blossoms and the woman’s cheek on this edition, it is missing on many of the other extant versions of this print.
Maribeth Graybill
“Four Seasons In Japanese Art”: Special Installation of Japanese Gallery at UMMA: Object Labels
July 5, 2003-January 4, 2004
In this print, the artist Ishikawa Toyonobu allows us the voyeuristic pleasure of an unhindered view of a beautiful young woman. From her gorgeous kimono and expensive tortoise-shell hair accessories, it is clear that she is a member of a wealthy family. She is shown hanging a poem card on a tree—perhaps a love poem intended for someone she expects to pass by. The verse may be translated as:
Once more again in love,
Once more regret—as fleeting
Toyonobu is known for his elegant depiction of beautiful women and vigorous design sense. In this print, the bold black lines of the family crest in the curtain and the checkered patterns of the girl’s sash create strong geometric patterns that work wonderfully with the sweeping curves of her kimono and the organic shape of the cherry tree.
(Label for UMMA Japanese Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Eizan was the son of Kikugawa Eiji, a Kanô-style painter and maker of fans. He first studied painting from his father, and later fron the literati artist Suzuki Nanrei. His paintings show a strong Kanô influence, as well as close study of the work of Utamarô and Hokusai. From the early 1800s until he retired in about 1830, he was a leading designer of bijinga; he also did actor prints and erotica.
Three courtesans engaged in a drinking game sit in an open veranda in early spring, with cherry blossoms in full bloom behind them. The women appear tipsy, and the one at the right clings to her companion in the middle for support, as she stretches out her left hand to have her cup refilled with saké (rice wine). They have a tray of delicacies shamisen at their feet.
Subject Matter
All the senses are aroused by this image of three women engaged in a playful drinking game. The setting is an open veranda in early spring, when cherry blossoms are in full bloom. The party scene is complete—except perhaps for the male client who has paid for it all. Male viewers of the print no doubt preferred to imagine themselves in that role. Eizan is from the same group of printmakers as Ichirakutei Eisui, and the elongated faces are typical of their prints.
Label Copy
All the senses are aroused by this image of three women engaged in a playful drinking game. The setting is an open veranda in early spring, when cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Here the abundant blossoms seem to flow from the painted indoor screen to the garden beyond. The women are already a bit tipsy, and the one at the right clings to her companion in the middle for support, as she stretches out her left hand to have her cup refilled with saké (rice wine). With a tray of delicacies and their banjo-like shamisen instrument, the party is complete—except perhaps for the male client who has paid for it all. Male viewers of the print no doubt preferred to imagine themselves in that role. Eizan is from the same group of printmakers as Ichirakutei Eisui, and the elongated faces are typical of their prints.
M. Graybill
"Courtesans, Cross-Dressers, and the Girl Next Door Images of the Feminine in Japanese Popular Prints"
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Though Kiyonaga was the fourth head of the Torii school, he very early in his artistic career abandoned the traditional actor-print favored by that school. It was in him, his immediate followers, and his contemporaries that the color print reached its highest level of excellence. It is also in Kiyonaga’s work that we see the portraiture of women raised to its most elegant refinement, equaled only by Katsukawa Shuncho (active ca. 1780-–1795).
Kiyonaga was also the first to develop the three- and five-sheet print into a single design. Though frequently each sheet is noticeably complete in itself and can be shown as a separate unit, the full effect of the artist’s intention is apparent only in the whole composition.
In this print, one of a series of ten views of "tea house" districts, Kiyonaga has depicted two women and a child strolling along the shore by the sea wall at Takanawa. A woman at left shields her eyes from the summer sun with her fan, and has her obi tied in front of her. The younger looking companion holding her hand wears a gaily flowered kimono, which has fallen wide open. A child walks with them, gesturing to the side of the print. The front portion of a boat and wall of a town or temple lie behind them.
This is an especially well-preserved print, where even the indigo blue is still visible.
Subject Matter
Outside of the licensed pleasure quarter of Yoshiwara, there were several unlicensed brothel districts in Edo. When Yoshiwara was devastated by a fire in the 1780s, these heretofore disreputable areas were spruced up and briefly became the major entertainment attractions in town. Few artists capture the déclassé atmosphere of these environs as well as Torii Kiyonaga.
In this print, one of a series of ten views of "tea house" districts, he has depicted two women and a child strolling along the shore by the sea wall at Takanawa. Kiyonaga carefully delineates their class and age: the woman at left is the eldest and clearly in charge; that she ties her obi in front identifies her as a prostitute. Her younger companion must be in the same profession, judging from the way she allows her kimono to fall wide open. The child may be a daughter of the first woman, or a young apprentice. Yet for all of his straightforward rendering of these women as lower-class, there is no hint of disdain or tawdry seaminess in Kiyonaga’s image.
This is an especially well-preserved print, where even the indigo blue is still visible. The colors used in Japanese prints throughout the eighteenth century were made from plants, and very "fugitive"—that is, they quickly fade when exposed to light. In the great majority of prints, what had once been a rich palette of purples, pinks, and blues has faded to pale browns and grays.
Label Copy
Outside of the licensed pleasure quarter of Yoshiwara, there were several unlicensed brothel districts in Edo. When Yoshiwara was devastated by a fire in the 1780s, these heretofore disreputable areas were spruced up and briefly became the major entertainment attractions in town. Few artists capture the déclassé atmosphere of these environs as well as Torii Kiyonaga.
In this print, one of a series of ten views of "tea house" districts, he has depicted two women and a child strolling along the shore by the sea wall at Takanawa. Kiyonaga carefully delineates their class and age: the woman at left, who shields her eyes from the summer sun with her fan, is the eldest and clearly in charge; that she ties her obi in front identifies her as a prostitute. Her younger companion must be in the same profession, judging from the way she allows her gaily flowered kimono to fall wide open. The child may be a daughter of the first woman, or a young apprentice. Yet for all of his straightforward rendering of these women as lower-class, there is no hint of disdain or tawdry seaminess in Kiyonaga’s image.
This is an especially well-preserved print, where even the indigo blue is still visible. The colors used in Japanese prints throughout the eighteenth century were made from plants, and very "fugitive"—that is, they quickly fade when exposed to light. In the great majority of prints, what had once been a rich palette of purples, pinks, and blues has faded to pale browns and grays.
M. Graybill
"Courtesans, Cross-Dressers, and the Girl Next Door Images of the Feminine in Japanese Popular Prints"
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Koryûsai was one of the few artist sof the ukiyo-e school to come from the samurai (warrior) class. His early works of the 1769s are much influenced by the work of Suzuki Harunobu, but even then distinguished by a more ironic wit. He is especially well known for his pillar prints and shunga (erotica). In the 1770s, his style changed to depict a more massive feminine type, with the new hairstyles and costumes of the era. In the 1780s, Koryusai abandoned popular prints and devoted himself to production of the more prestigious ukiyo-e paintings.
This is a color woodblock print of a courtesan and her two attendants. They are walking toward the left. The courtesan wears red and brown kimono with geometric designs and a pink cloak with plum tree and cloud design. Her green obi (sash), tied in front, has peacock feather and geometric patterns. Her hair is sculpted in the shape of “lantern” style, with the broad wings to the side of the head. Three large tortoise-shell comb and four pins adorn the hair. The two young attendants wear matching clothes and hair accessories; their kimono design has the same plum and cloud patterns as the courtesan but in brownish colors. Their obi is in green color with wavy stripes, loosely tied on their backs. They also have tortoise shell combs, hairpins, and ornaments in the shape of pine leaves. One attendant is looking at a ground, and other attendant toward the right. All three wear high platform sandals. There are artist’s signature and publisher’s seal on the lower left corner, as well as the title on the upper right corner.
Subject Matter
Traditionally the famous beauties of the Yoshiwara entertainment quarter in Edo would parade under the cherry blossoms every spring in the newest fashions. Here we are shown the reigning courtesan of the Chôjiya house, Karauta, accompanied by two young attendants, Matsuno and Takeno, in matching costumes. Note the new "lantern" hairstyle, with the broad wings to the side of the head. This print serves as an advertisement for the attractions of the Chôjiya tea house— and quite possibly for the shop that provided the costumes as well. Print designers often worked as textile designers on the side, and images such as these would appeal to women as the equivalent of the latest issue of Vogue.
(Adopted from M. Graybill, "Courtesans, Cross-Dressers, and the Girl Next Door Images of the Feminine in Japanese Popular Prints" 3/9 - 9/1/02)
Label Copy
This stunning print, in superb condition, is from one of the most famous print series by Koryûsai. Issued in the late 1770s or very early 1780s, First Designs of Model Young Leaves (Hinagata wakana no hatsu moyô) definitively marks Koryûsai’s independence from Harunobu, who had so long inspired his work. Harunobu's girl-next-door type of beauty is gone, as is his detailed architectural setting. Instead we are back to a grandly idealized rendering of a courtesan, here identified by name for the first time.
Traditionally the famous beauties of the Yoshiwara entertainment quarter in Edo would parade under the cherry blossoms every spring in the newest fashions. Here we are shown the reigning courtesan of the Chôjiya house, Karauta, accompanied by two young attendants, Matsuno and Takeno, in matching costumes. Note the new "lantern" hairstyle, with the broad wings to the side of the head. This print serves as an advertisement for the attractions of the Chôjiya tea house— and quite possibly for the shop that provided the costumes as well. Print designers often worked as textile designers on the side, and images such as these would appeal to women as the equivalent of the latest issue of Vogue.
M. Graybill
"Courtesans, Cross-Dressers, and the Girl Next Door Images of the Feminine in Japanese Popular Prints"
3/9 - 9/1/02
From the series Hinagata wakana no hatsu moyô (First Designs of Model Young Leaves)
Signature: Mukô Yagenbori onshi Koryûsai ga
Publisher's seal: Eijudô.
Dealer's seal on back of paper.
Traditionally the famous beauties of the Yoshiwara pleasure district would parade every spring in the newest fashions. Here we are shown the reigning courtesan of the Chôjiya house, Karauta, accompanied by two young attendants, Matsuno and Takeno, in matching costumes. Note the new "lantern" hairstyle, with the broad wings to the side of the head. This Koryûsai print served as an advertisement for the Chôjiya teahouse and quite possibly for the shop that provided the costumes as well. Print designers often worked as textile designers, and images such as these would appeal to Edo-period women as the equivalent of the latest issue of Vogue.
(Label for UMMA Japanese Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)
a mythical font of eternal youth, in distant China
the river that flows by Yoshiwara
a famous twelfth-century monk who was, in legend, intimate with a great courtesan
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Living in the city of Edo, Shunsho was a leading ukiyo-e painter, print artist and illustrator. Little is known about his personal life. He turned to the print medium around 1767. At first much influenced by Harunobu, his greatest contribution came with his prints of actors, which soon overshadowed the hitherto dominant Torii school. Though not a startling innovator, Shunsho ranks with Kiyonobu and Sharaku in his influence on the way in which kabuki was depicted. He taught many pupils, including the great landscape ukiyo-e artist Hokusai. All of these followers with “Shun” in their names (Hokusai changed his later), are usually grouped as the Katsukawa school.
Shunsho devoted his final years more to paintings than to popular prints. A considerable number of his paintings are extant, usually of genre scenes peopled with bijin (Japanese beauty).
Kabuki Actor Iwai Hanshiro IV in a role as a woman with a sword. The stage appears to be dark aside from a lantern on the ground behind her, which emanates a triangular stream of yellow light directly upwards. The woman looks alertly to her left, with her right hand within her long kimono sleeve, hovering just above the sword handle.
Subject Matter
The male and female figures in Japanese prints are often difficult to discern. The conspicuous difference is that men can be identified by the shaved tops of their heads. When an actor portrays a feminine role, he would wear a piece of cloth on his head to conceal the shaved area, as depicted in this print. The lantern indicates the woman in the drama is going out in the night. She was perhaps using the light as a signal to her lover while she hid in the dark. The artist’s rendering of the light adds a clever dramatic effect.
Label Copy
The male and female figures in Japanese prints are often difficult to discern. The conspicuous difference is that men can be identified by the shaved tops of their heads. When an actor portrays a feminine role, he would wear a piece of cloth on his head to conceal the shaved area, as depicted in this print. The lantern indicates the woman in the drama is going out in the night. She was perhaps using the light as a signal to her lover while she hid in the dark. The artist’s rendering of the light adds a clever dramatic effect.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
This piece depicts boats decorated with lanterns, decorating the evening sky and festivities. The shore is lined with teahouses set up for the event.
Subject Matter
The series Rokujuhoshu meisho zue depicts a famous place from each of the 68 provinces and the capital, Edo. Each of the 69 prints in this series, and the contents page, is a vertical composition.
In Tsushima on June 14th and 15th a festival is held, called Tenno Matsuri. Teahouses like the ones seen in this print would have been set up along the riverbank for the occasion. This piece depicts boats decorated with lanterns, decorating the evening sky and festivities. This particular arrangement is based off of the 1844 illustration "rokugatsu jyuyon nichi yuu" by Odagiri Shunko, from Owari Meisho Zue.
Label Copy
This series of prints, which depicts the sixty-eight provinces in Japan, is known for Hiroshige’s use of bokashi, a printing technique used to create color gradation.The artist’s expert command of bokashi allows for gentle changes in gradation, adding texture to sea waves and depth to night skies. Because this series was so successful, subsequent editions were printed hastily to meet popular demand. Subtle changes in color were modified to simpler bands, as can be seen along the upper edge of the dark sky in this scene. Thin white strips also appear next to cartouches, either where printing blocks shrunk or were not aligned with care to create a seamless match.
Although this would seem to be one of the later editions, the Tennô Shrine Festival is portrayed with vibrant energy. Bright lanterns hang from the boats and create a sharp contrast against the evening sky, while in the background teahouses set up along the river for the event give off a gentle glow, beckoning to the celebrating villagers.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
Utamaro owed his greatest artistic debt to Kiyonaga (1752–1815). He added a strong element of eroticism and an intuitive grasp of female psychology to Kiyonaga’s graceful, lifelike portrayals of women. Like Harunobu, Utamaro was a great master of ukiyo-e in the portrayal of femininity and love, but the two had different approaches. In addition to his figure studies of women, Utamaro also drew landscapes, birds, animals, and flower studies, and a large number of book illustrations. (MW)
He had numerous pupils and followers who may be classed as the Toriyama school, taking the name from Toriyama Skiyen, the teacher of Utamaro. Many prints signed Utamaro are undoubtedly the work of his pupils, and it is sometimes difficult to distinguish them.
This is a portrait of courtesan and her attendant. The courtesan wears a kimono with overall cherry blossom patterns and a darker color cloak with fan, plover and wave design lining with overall cherry blossom design silk; the cloak is slipping from her right shoulder. Her obi is draped in front; it has overall hollyhock pattern. Her face is white; Her hair is sculpted like a balloon on the top and has broad wings to the side. Tortoise-shell comb and multiple hairpins adorn the hair. She is strolling toward the right. Her attendant is walking behind her, her face and body partially hidden by the courtesan. She wears the matching kimono with plover and wave design; her kimono has long sleeves (furisode), whose openings are tied with ribbons. Her obi, with peony and geometric design, is tied at the back. Her hair is in the similar shape as the courtesan but not too exaggerated. But she wears an enormous hair accessory consisting of cherry blossoms and tassels, made of silver. Her face is also in white. The painting is accompanied by poem written by Santô Kyôden with his signature and two seals. On the lower left, there are the artist's signature and seal. The mounting is made of silk brocade with embroidery in the design of clematis and millets.
Subject Matter
Utamaro evokes for us the haunting beauty of a young courtesan— probably Hanaôgi of the Ôgiya—on the day of her formal debut, as she promenades under the cherry blossoms on Yoshiwara’s main avenue, with a child attendant in tow. The promenade was an annual ritual where Yoshiwara’s denizens stepped out in their finest robes to display their beauty and fine taste. Utamaro has chosen a subtle palette of white, black, and shades of gray, which captures our attention all the more for being unexpected. The only color comes from the dazzling brocade that frames the painting, a fragment of a courtesan’s kimono that is original to the work. It is tempting to think that it belonged to Hanaôgi, and thus completes her portrait. (Adapted from M. Graybill, "Courtesans, Cross-Dressers, and the Girl Next Door Images of the Feminine in Japanese Popular Prints" 3/9 - 9/1/02)
Label Copy
In the 1790s, Kitagawa Utamaro was without peer in Edo as a master of images of beautiful women. Santô Kyôden was a wildly successful writer of satirical fiction. Both were in the stable of the astute publisher Tsutaya Jûzaburô, and all three were infamous for whiling away their days in the teahouses of Yoshiwara, the licensed pleasure district. This painting is perhaps the most beautiful work of art to result from their collaboration.
Utamaro evokes for us the haunting beauty of a young courtesan—probably Hanaôgi of the Ôgiya—on the day of her formal debut, as she promenades under the cherry blossoms on Yoshiwara’s main avenue, a child attendant in tow. The promenade was an annual ritual in which Yoshiwara’s denizens stepped out in their finest robes to display their beauty and fine taste. Utamaro has chosen a subtle palette of white, black, and shades of gray, which captures our attention all the more for being unexpected. The only color comes from the dazzling brocade that frames the painting, a fragment of a kimono that is original to the work.
The poems, in Santô Kyôden’s hand, may be loosely translated as:
The gold of her ransom may be measured
in the chrysanthemum dew from the Sweet Valley,
but the celebratory cup of her debut
is drawn from pure saké of the Sumida River.
It may be that even Saigyô never saw such flowers as these—
Yoshiwara in bloom.
(Label for UMMA Japanese Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)
Inscription
Signed by the artist at the lower left: Utamaro hitsu, artist's seal partially superimposed over the last character;
Signed by the calligrapher at the upper left: Tokyo Santo Kyoden;
Utamaro's seal at the lower left: Utamaro; Kyoden's seals: Kikuken, Ha Sanjin;
Kyoden's kyoshi (comic poem) inscribed above the figures: Nebiki no kogane wa Amadani no kikusui o hakari Tsukidashi no sakazuki Sumida no morohaku o kumeri For the gold of redemption, the sweet valley's Chrysanthemum Water is measured out. From the proffered sake cup, the best wine of Sumida is drunk. Kyoden then caps the poem with a satire haiku: Saigyo mo Even Saigyo hasn't yet seen Mada minu hana no Such a flower of the brothel. Kuruwa kana
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
A leading painter and intellectual in Edo of the early nineteenth century. Born into a high-ranking samurai family, he was in direct service to Matsudaira Sadanobu (1758–1829), the Councilor of State for the Tokugawa Shogunate who enacted numerous government reforms. As a painter, Bunchô studied and became competent at almost every style then practiced in Japan.
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please fax a request to the attention of Orian Neumann, Assistant Registrar, at 734-474-7643. For other queries, email orian@umich.edu.edu.
