Allusion to the Yatsuhashi Bridge from The Tales of Ise (detail), By Suzuki Harunobu, Edo period, 18th century
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 10
May 15, 2018 (Tue) - June 3, 2018 (Sun)
The artistic genre of ukiyo-e originated and flourished in the Edo period (1603–1868), focusing its attention on the common people and their leisure activities and interests. Later, ukiyo-e prints began to be mass-produced using woodblocks, while subsequent advances in woodblock carving and printing led to the creation of multicolor prints called nishiki-e, or “brocade pictures,” so called because of their vibrant combinations of pigments. The current exhibition includes early monochrome prints, those with hand-brushed colors such as tan-e and urushi-e, as well as early ukiyo-e paintings by Kaigetsudo Ando and others. Depictions of beautiful women by Utamaro and flower-and-bird prints by Hiroshige are also on display. This selection is rich in variety while drawing on the seasonal themes of early summer.
Current exhibit includes:
Allusion to the Yatsuhashi Bridge from The Tales of Ise, By Suzuki Harunobu, Edo period, 18th century
Courtesan and Swallows, By Katsukawa Shunsho, Edo period, 18th century
Peonies of Nakanocho, By Torii Kiyonaga, Edo period, 18th century