Japanese Woodblock Prints of Actors

Colorful woodblock prints depicting actors and scenes from Japanese culture, showcasing clothing and traditional settings, rich in detail.

Hokusai, Katsushika, work, Attack of the bandits, (1000 - 2000), colored woodcut, graphics, image and leaf width 37.3 cm, image and leaf height 24.7 cm

Hokusai, Katsushika, work, Attack of the bandits, (1000 - 2000), colored woodcut, graphics, image and leaf width 37.3 cm, image and leaf height 24.7 cm

Kyoka hassen sono ni (Translation: Eight Kyoka poets 2) By Yajima, active 19th century, Japanese artist. Painting d to between 1818 and 1824. Print shows three men and a woman (poets); one man is standing behind a low screen, reading; another is sitting on the floor in front of the screen, feeding a turtle from a bowl; the third man and the woman are standing on the left.

THREE ACTORS: Iwai SHISHISHIMATSU in THE ROLE OF A BOY Kuniyasu, utagawa (1794 1832)

Momiji no ga, from the series A Fashionable Parody of the Tale of Genji (Furyu yatsushi Genji) 1784-1799 Japan. Color woodblock print; oban triptych . Chôbunsai Eishi

New Year in a Samurai Mansion, from the illustrated kyoka anthology "The Young God Ebisu (Waka Ebisu)". Kitagawa Utamaro ; Japanese, 1753 ()-1806. Date: 1789. Dimensions: . Color woodblock print; double-page illustration from album. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Woman IIfting the a window bIInd and a man, from the series: I Ise monogatari

A DomesticScene. Artist: Nishikawa Sukenobu, Japanese, 1671-1751

Yoshida on the Tokaido (Tokaido Yoshida), from the series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei)". Katsushika Hokusai ; Japanese, 1760-1849; Publisher: Hibino Yohachi; Japanese, unknown. Date: 1825-1838. Dimensions: 25.8 x 37.5 cm (10 1/8 x 14 3/4 in.). Color woodblock print; oban. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Sumidagawa Hashiba Watashi Zu (Yanagiya). Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797-1858 Tokyo (Edo)). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: H. 9 in. (22.9 cm); W. 13 7/8 in. (35.2 cm). Date: ca. 1835-42. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Act Eight The Bridal Journey (Michiyuki) from the play Chushingura (Treasury of the Forty-seven Loyal Retainers) 1785-1789 Japan. Color woodblock print; koban . Katsukawa Shun'ei

Mansion Opening onto a Garden ca. 1786 Katsukawa Shunchō Japanese. Mansion Opening onto a Garden 56843

Illustration from Genji Monogatari Sugimura Jihei (Japanese, active ca. 1681-1703). Illustration from Genji Monogatari, 1688-1704. Woodblock print, 12 1/4 x 21 3/4 in. (31.1 x 55.2 cm). Asian Art 1688-1704

Kanaoka (Kyogen), from the series Pictures of No Performances (Nogaku Zue) 1893-1903 Japan. Color woodblock print . Tsukioka Kôgyo

Poemat Kisena Hōshiego / Kisen Hōshi, Z Serii: Ze Stu Poetów Po Jednej Strofie / Hyakunin ISSHU NO UCHI Utagawa, kuniyoshi (1797 1861)

Poems on Portraits of the Famous and the Infamous 19th century Attributed to Utagawa Kunisada Japanese. Poems on Portraits of the Famous and the Infamous. Attributed to Utagawa Kunisada (Japanese, 1786-1864). Japan. 19th century. Polychrome Woodblock printed book; gold lacquer on red lacquer ground. Edo period (1615-1868). Illustrated Books

Party by a winding stream Japan. Color woodblock print; two left sheets of oban triptych . Kubo Shunman

Dignitary surrounded by courtiers at the top of Mount Arashi in Kyoto, from the series: Famous neighborhoods of the Tokaido road /Tokaido meisho no uchi HIROSHIGE II, UTAGAWA (1826 1869)

8-year-old Gomo using incense to protect his old father from mosquitoes; print from the series Nijushi kodoji kagami" (24 Paragons of Filial Piety). Utagawa, Kuniyoshi (1798-1861), graphic artist

HET NOH TONEELSTUK SHOJO, ISHIKAWA TOYOMASA, 1770-1780 print Five children, making music and dancing, in a garden with a huge sake barrel; In the background a part of a house with veranda. Japan paper color woodcut children playing musical instruments. dancing. container of ceramics: jar, jug, pot, vase

The Six Poetic Immortals ca. 1810 Kubo Shunman Japanese This collaborative work by Shunman and a group of poets is an imaginary group portrait” of the Rokkasen, or Six Poetic Immortals. These were Japanese court poets described as the leading poets of the early Heian period (794-1185) in the preface to the classical poetry anthology Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern (Kokin wakash?, ca. 905). Five men are seen gathered around Ono no Komachi, the sole woman in this venerable roster. This composition incorporates ky?ka (witty thirty-one-syllable verse) by noted literati of early nineteenth-century Edo (present-day Tokyo): Shokusanjin (?ta Nanpo, 1749-1823), Yadoya no Meshimori (1753-1830), Sakazuki no Komendo (active early nineteenth century), the artist-poet Shunman himself, and others. This type of painting was created spontaneously by poets composing verse at a public gathering.. The Six Poetic Immortals. Kubo Shunman (Japanese, 1757-1820) , and others. Japan. ca. 1810. Hanging s

Taibi, Epilogue of the Chushingura., Utagawa, Kuniyasu, 1794-1832, artist, between 1815 and 1818, 1 print : woodcut, color ; 19.3 x 25.8 cm., Print shows three men outside a shed, one is carrying a large knife, another is carrying a lance and a lantern, and the third man appears unarmed.

Twelve Hours in the Yoshiwara. Attributed to Chōbunsai Eishi (Japan, 1756-1829). Japan, 19th century. Paintings; scrolls. Handscroll; ink and colors on paper

Kiku no tsuitate no mae no shuen, Drinking party before a single standing screen (Tsuitate) with chrysanthemums., between 1820 and 1860, 1 print : woodcut, color ; 37 x 50.1 cm., Print shows a man and three women slightly amused by another man's behavior at a drinking party.

Ogura imitation of the one hundred poems. Yadahei and the Courtisane coconut under a flowering cherry tree. Scene from a Kabukite team. Poem by Ise No Tayû.

Visitors to Enoshima, from the album Mountains of the Four Quarters (Yomo no yama) 1800-1850 Japan. Color woodblock print; surimono, page from an album . Kubo Shunman

The Actors Onoe Matsusuke I as Akaboshi Taro (right), and Azuma Tozo II as Shirotae (left), in the Play Kono Hana Yotsugi no Hachi no Ki, Performed at the Ichimura Theater in the Eleventh Month, 1771. Katsukawa Shunsho ; Japanese, 1726-1792. Date: 1767-1777. Dimensions: 17.5 x 27.7 cm (6 7/8 x 10 7/8 in.). Color woodblock print; from the illustrated book Yakusha Kuni no Hana (Prominent Actors of Japan). Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

Women Making Clothing, early 1790s. Utagawa Toyokuni (Japanese, 1769-1825). Color woodblock print; overall: 38.2 x 76.2 cm (15 1/16 x 30 in.).

Chapter 27; Faithful images of the beautiful prince; Sono Sugata Hikaru No Utsushi-e. Woman under parasol with maid lady and maid, looking at prince Genji sitting with impeller; Temple and pagoda between blossoms in the background. Presentation enclosed by brown edge in which Genji emblems.

The Curtain Clam Suzuki Harunobu Japanese The young ladies are at the shore. One is getting out of a chair while the other ties a sash about her hips below her "obi." A subtle tone of carpe diem cleverly embedded in the poem deepens the provacative tinge of this charming scene, one of a series that plays on the theme of types of seashells. The "sudare-gai" is a mollusk that was named for the boiled blinds of reed or thin bamboo slats that are still used in Japan to provide the shade and privacy between the interior space and the outside garden. In poetic convention it is a motif of intrinsic eroticism and has a seasonal association with spring. In this print, a small "sudare" covers the window of the palalquin that has carried these courtesans to the shore for a spring outing.Nami kakaru fukiage no hama nosudaregai nami mo zoorusu isogi hirowan.A cool breeze whips the waves onto shorelet's hurry to gather the shells.. The Curtain Clam 45071

A Cup of Sake before Bed (Toko sakazuki), the sixth sheet of the series Marriage in Brocade Prints, the Carriage of the Virtuous Woman (Konrei nishiki misao-guruma) 1764-1770 Japan. Color woodblock print; chuban yoko-e . Suzuki Harunobu

Kanaya, from an untitled series of the fifty-three stations of the Tokaido 1799-1809 Japan. Color woodblock print; kokonotsugiri-ban . Katsushika Hokusai

Amusements of Kabuki Actors of the Third Floor” [Dressing Room (Yakusha sangaikyō), by Shikitei Sanba 1801 Utagawa Toyokuni I Japanese. Amusements of Kabuki Actors of the Third Floor” [Dressing Room (Yakusha sangaikyō), by Shikitei Sanba. Utagawa Toyokuni I (Japanese, 1769-1825). Japan. 1801. Set of polychrome woodblock-printed books; ink and color on paper. Edo period (1615-1868). Illustrated Books

Drawing Water from the Well, 1807 print A nobleman watches while his servant creates the first water of the new year (Wakamizu) from the well, behind them a flowering plum blossom. With two poems. paper color woodcut well

The double self-murder, sheet 11 from the series: the lovely love adventures of the Maneemon. .

Mariko, 1906 Two travelers drink tea at a resting place on the Tôkaidô. cardboard color woodcut

Double-page Illustration from Vol 1 of Picture Book of Spring Brocades (Ehon haru no nishiki) 1771 Japan. Color woodblock print; double-page illustration from book

Backing shell. In a room a woman holds a new cash book in her hands. Her assistant is in the weather with a stack of paper under great weight that hangs on a bamboo stick. Under a table in the background, more cash books, one mentioned that it is about the new year of the hose (1809). With three poems.

Chinese lady paints bamboo; Hansôme; A collection of famous paintings in the 'female' style; Meihitsu Onna Soroi. A woman looks through the window to the bamboo, which she is looking for, while a second lady is watching. With one poem.

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The Loyal League of Forty-seven Rnin (Chshingura), Act IV. Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige, Japanese, 1797-1858

Shimbara (one of the gates in the red IIght district in Kyoto) at dawn, board 7 from the series: Famous views of Kyoto /Kyoto meisho no uchi

SIXTY NINE STAGES OF THE KISO ROAD /KISOKUJUKYU TSUGI NO UCHI Eisen, Keisai (1790 1848), HIROSHIGE, Ichiryusai (1797 1858)

The First Bath of the New Year (Yudono hajime), from the illustrated book "Colors of the Triple Dawn (Saishiki mitsu no asa)". Torii Kiyonaga; Japanese, 1752-1815. Date: 1782-1792. Dimensions: 25.4 x 38.2 cm (10 x 15 1/16 in.). Woodblock print; oban, keyblock proof impression. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

The Hirasei Restaurant in Front of the Hachiman Shrine at Fukagawa (Fukagawa Hachiman mae, Hirasei) from the series "Famous Restaurants of Edo (Edo komei kaitei zukushi)". Utagawa Hiroshige ; Japanese, 1797-1858. Date: 1833-1845. Dimensions: 26.4 x 37.5 cm (10 3/8 x 14 3/4 in.). Color woodblock print; oban. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

Two women and a boy in an interior Kunisada, UTAGAWA (1786 1864)

Li Guangli shoots an arrow through a tiger-shapedrock. Artist: Masazumi Ry?sai

Women and a Small Boy Gathering Shells on a Beach by the Sea ca. 1758 Ishikawa Toyonobu Japanese. Women and a Small Boy Gathering Shells on a Beach by the Sea 54505

Men Feasting, Ando Hiroshige, Japanese, 1797-1858, Woodblock print in colored ink on paper, Hiroshige plays with dividing the print in half. On the left side shows a dramatic dragon in mid-flight highlighted in a red glow. The right shows a feast scene with seven working-class men. Each character is displaying all the actions in a restaurant setting; eating, pouring, serving, and contentment., Japan, 1797-1858, Print, Print

Courtesans of the Tamaya, from the book "Mirror of Beautiful Women of the Pleasure Quarters (Seiro bijin awase sugata kagami)," vol. 1. Katsukawa Shunsho; Japanese, 1726-1792; Kitao Shigemasa; Japanese, 1739-1820. Date: 1776. Dimensions: 8 7/8 x 11 7/8 in. Color woodblock print; double-page illustration cut from a book. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

Surimono commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of the actor Iwai Hanshiro III. Torii Kiyonaga; Japanese, 1752-1815. Date: 1804-1814. Dimensions: 42.7 x 30.4 cm. Color woodblock print; surimono. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

Children looking at vases of chrysanthemums September board from the series: Childrens games imitating the adults customs during the 12 months /Juni tsuki monomane asobi Kitao, Shigemasa (1738 1820)

Mishima Morning Mist (Mishima, asagiri), from the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Road (Tokaido gojusan tsugi no uchi), also known as the Hoeido Tokaido 1828-1839 Japan. Color woodblock print; oban . Utagawa Hiroshige

. Color woodblock print; aiban . Rekisentei Eiri

Tokyo, Tsuruya Kinsuke (Sokakudo), Chôki, Momokawa, Ryogokubashi suzumibune no zu, Enjoying the evening coolness on a boat at Ryogoku, View of seven women and a man on boats between the pillars of the Ryogoku Bridge., print, prent, prints, Japan (collection), height 368 mm, width 251 mm, print maker, printmaker, 1790 - 1800, fourth quarter 18th century, paper, colour woodcut, colour woodblock, Publication (Event), Publication, Japanese, publisher

Musicians from Tamaya Yahachi and hobby-horse dancers from Daimon Fujiya, from the series "Comic Performances by the Entertainers of the Pleasure Quarters at the Niwaka Festival (Seiro geiko niwaka kyogen zukushi)". Isoda Koryusai; Japanese, 1735-1790. Date: 1771-1786. Dimensions: 15 1/4 x 10 1/2 in. Color woodblock print; uncut chuban diptych. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

No 20 Rain on the Hiratsuka Plain near Kutsukake Station (Niju Kutsukake no eki, Hiratsukahara uchu no kei), from the series Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaido (Kisokaido rokujukyu tsugi no uchi) 1830-1841 Japan. Color woodblock print; oban . Keisai Eisen

Akasaka | Library of Congress

Poem by Kanke (Sugawara Michizane), from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki) ca. 1839 Katsushika Hokusai Japanese. Poem by Kanke (Sugawara Michizane), from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki) 36487

"Ri": The Well Curb, from the series "Tales of Ise in Fashionable Brocade Pictures (Furyu nishiki-e Ise monogatari)". Katsukawa Shunsho ; Japanese, 1726-1792. Date: 1767-1778. Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.9 cm (9 x 6 1/4 in.). Color woodblock print; koban. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

MITAKE, TAVERN, BOARD 50 from the Series: Sixty Nine Stages of the Kiso Kaido Road /Kaido Rokujukyu TSUGI NO Uchi

The Curfew at Dōjōji ca. 1763 Torii Kiyomitsu Japanese On a platform by a cherry tree, from the flowering branches of which a large temple bell is suspended, an actor recreates the legendary female role of Kiyohime, who dances to exorcise the pain of rejection by her beloved. Kiyomitsu depicts this scene in subdued green tones that are fully modulated by the three-color print process. The three seated figures at the rear, echoed by the three trees behind them, and the placement of these figures on a diagonally striped platform frame the enactment of this dramtic event within a repetition of forms. The sharp shifts in scale and the diagonal lines demonstrate a new awareness of perspective. The awkward stacking of the figures and the flattening effect of the boldly striped boards, however, return the viewer to the two-dimensional surface of the print. By self-consciously employing the tension between two-and three-dimensionality, and by juxtaposing decorative and architectural features,

Bartoli, Pietro Santi, inventor: Annibale Carracci, work, Adoration of the Shepherds, (1000 - 2000), line etching, graphics, leaf width 37, 4 cm, leaf height 52 cm, image width 36.2 cm, image height 47.7 cm

Two women with scrolls of canvas. Kakegawa, from the series: Fifty three stops on the Tokaido highway /Tokaido gojusan tsugi Katsushika, hokusai (1760 1849)

Seven young women in a bamboo grove. Color and black. Signature and seal. Date: 18th century. Origin: Japan. Period: Edo period. Ink and color on silk. Museum: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

Japan: Traditional crafts and trades of the 18th century from a hand-painted album by an anonymous artist. Folio 41. Hand-coloured illustration from a Japanese miscellany on traditional trades, crafts and customs in mid-18th century Japan, dated Meiwa Era (1764-1772) Year 6 (c. 1770 CE).

Yokyu, Archery., Hosoda, Eishi, 1756-1829, artist, between 1787 and 1790, 1 print : woodcut, color ; 37.6 x 24.1 cm., Print shows three women amusing themselves shooting arrows.

Actors Out of Costume Like Mount Fuji Without Snow in Summer, by Ichiba Tsūshō ca. 1830 Katsukawa Shunshō　勝川春章 Japanese. Actors Out of Costume Like Mount Fuji Without Snow in Summer, by Ichiba Tsūshō. Katsukawa Shunshō　勝川春章 (Japanese, 1726-1792). Japan. ca. 1830. Woodblock printed book; ink on paper. Edo period (1615-1868). Illustrated Books

Shirasuka | Library of Congress

Woman Pursuing Sparrow Okumura Masanobu Japanese. Woman Pursuing Sparrow 55759

Courtisanes and guest during winter morning. Tenth and eleventh page of part two from Utamaro`s book: Events in the Lusthuizen during the year.

Japan, Shakuyakutei, Keitei, Chôjintei, Shigenobu (II), Yanagawa, Hana awase, A Comparison of Flowers, Sono hachi - Udonge, Number Eight: The Rare Fortunate Flower, verso - handwritten, A man carrying an offering table and dressed in court dress with a butterfly emblem, stands next to a seated woman in a kimono with crane motif. The clothing and make-up make it clear that these are actors in the role of Soga no Gorô Tokimune and his mistress Maizuru. With three poems., print, prent, surimono, prints, Japan (collection), height 209 mm, width 183 mm, Japanese, print maker, printmaker, 1820 - 1830, second quarter 19th century, paper, colour woodcut, poet, 1767 - 1845

Penis measurements, c. 1870 - c. 1880 print Humorous erotic print; Of two naked men, the penis is measured and described, under the watchful eye of two giggling court ladies and glaring women between curtains. paper color woodcut penis, phallus. spying on someone. laughing

Two men resting under a tree. Hiratsuka, from the series: Fifty Fifty three stops on the Tokaido highway /Tokaido gojusan tsugi Katsushika, hokusai (1760 1849)

Turtle vendor. Five women, among blossom trees, at a young man with scoop. Sitting at two waterfrings and bamboo rack to which turtles and fish bowls with goldfish; In the background the Shinobazu pond. Left and middle leaf of a triptych.

Act II (Nidanme), from the series "Perspective Pictures of the Storehouse of Loyal Retainers (Uki-e kanadehon Chushingura)". Kitao Masayoshi (Kuwagata Keisai); Japanese, 1764-1824. Date: 1787-1799. Dimensions: 33.4 x 43.8 cm. Color woodblock print; horizontal o-oban. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Two Chinese men in a landscape, Pieter Schenk (II), 1727 - 1775 print On the left two Chinese men in a landscape. A river in the middle. On the right a building. paper etching Chinese. water course

Long Leg and Long Arm, Momokawa Chôki, 1800 Two legendary figures are depicted with three matching poems. One figure with long legs (ashinaga) admires a painting of a monkey, the other with long arms (Tenaga) holds a tray with a peach. Three poems. Japan paper color woodcut monkeys, apes

Daikagura Performers, 1800s, Katsushika Hokusai, Japanese, 1760 - 1849, 7 5/16 × 20 1/16 in. (18.5 × 51 cm) (image, ebangire), Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper, Japan, 19th century, Daikagura performers organized into traveling troupes at New Years in order to distribute amulets from the great Shinto shrine at Ise. They performed the shishimai, the dance of divine lions, and a variety of acrobatic feats. In this print, a group of women and children chance upon a Daikagura troupe. To the delight of one boy, an entertainer is doing a balancing act while simultaneously playing the flute. One of his companions keeps time by beating a drum while another unpacks. Other auspicious motifs in the composition include a view of Mount Fuji in the background and a blossoming plum tree, considered a harbinger of spring. The ideogram for longevity appears on the boys kite. This celebratory composition was probably commissioned for a poetry societys publication of poems in commemo

Actors meeting Kunisada, UTAGAWA (1786 1864)

The Eastern Journey of the Celebrated Poet Ariwara no Narihira. Katsushika Hokusai ; Japanese, 1760-1849. Date: 1801-1811. Dimensions: 19.6 x 53.1 cm. Color woodblock print; nagaban surimono. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Ryogoku Yanagibashi (Umegawa)The Umegawa at Ryogoku Yanagibashi. Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797-1858 Tokyo (Edo)). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: H. 9 7/16 in. (24 cm); W. 14 3/16 in. (36 cm). Date: ca. 1835-42. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Two Young Women on a Veranda 1796 Kubo Shunman Japanese. Two Young Women on a Veranda. Kubo Shunman (Japanese, 1757-1820). Japan. 1796. Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper. Edo period (1615-1868). Prints

A Footman (Yakko) Mocking A Trap for Fox, c. 1781-1806, Kitagawa Utamaro, Japanese, 1753 - 1806, 13 5/8 x 9 in. (34.6 x 22.9 cm) (image, sheet), Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper, Japan, 18th-19th century

Tsuchiyama: Suzuka Mountains in the Rain (Tsuchiyama, Suzukayama uchu no zu), from the series "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido (Tokaido gojusan tsugi no uchi)," also known as the Gyosho Tokaido. Utagawa Hiroshige ; Japanese, 1797-1858. Date: 1836-1849. Dimensions: 21.4 x 32.1 cm (8 7/16 x 12 5/8 in.). Color woodblock print; aiban. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

Print 1757-1820 Kubo Shunman Japanese. Print 57074

Women Coming Ashore from a Pleasure Boat on the Sumida River 1780-1790 Japan. Color woodblock print; oban triptych . Torii Kiyonaga

Hina no SekkuThe Festival of Dolls (Third Month). Artist: Ishikawa Toyomasa (Japanese, active 1770-1790). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: H. 10 in. (25.4 cm); W. 7 3/8 in. (18.7 cm). Date: ca. 1767. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Mariko, from the series "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido (Tokaido gojusan tsugi)," also known as the Tokaido with Poem (Kyoka iri Tokaido). Utagawa Hiroshige ; Japanese, 1797-1858. Date: 1832-1847. Dimensions: 16.8 × 22.8 cm (6 5/8 × 8 15/16 in.). Color woodblock print; chuban. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

The purple shell; MuraSakigai; A comparison game of poems; Kasen awase. Two women pick up the first water of the new year from a well. Traditionally there is fern leaf and a turned rope attached to the wooden bucket that holds one of the women. A blooming plum tree in the background. With two poems.

How to Cultivate a Cedar Seedling Artist Unknown (Japanese) Woodblock print Culver Pictures Inc.

Three children playing on a garden terrace. Origin: China. Date: 1368-1644. Period: Ming dynasty. Ink and color on silk. Museum: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

. A man is sailed in a rowing boat under an overhanging pine. This is the famous Shubi pine, the 'Rendezvous' pine on the western shore of the Sumida River, on the way to the Yoshiwara, the pleasure quarter of Edo (the current Tokyo). With three poems.

Comb Rashomon (Sashigushi Rashomon), no 3 from a series of 12 prints depicting parodies of plays 1711-1740 Japan. Hand-colored woodblock print; oban, sumizuri-e . Okumura Masanobu

Group of dignitaries at the seaside and a flock of cranes Kunisada, UTAGAWA (1786 1864)

Pulling the right fate, c. 1808 - in or before 1861 print Figures in a circle all connected to a rope to a man with a big head: the god dai koku. Imagination of the parable about drawing the right fate. Japanese paper (handmade paper). printing ink color woodcut

Playing ball, 1768, Woodcuts

Kabuki Play Kusazuribiki from the Tales of Soga (Soga monogatari). Artist: Okumura Masanobu (Japanese, 1686-1764). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Image: 12 5/16 × 19 5/8 in. (31.3 × 49.9 cm)Overall with mounting: 49 1/8 × 25 1/8 in. (124.8 × 63.8 cm)Overall with knobs: 49 1/8 × 27 5/16 in. (124.8 × 69.3 cm). Date: 18th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Courtesans in an Iris Garden late 18th century Katsukawa Shunch Japanese This triptych recalls one of the most popular episodes from the tenth-century literary classic, the Ise monogatari (The Tales of Ise), a series of poems on love and journeying accompanied by brief textual notes. This episode tells of a young aristocrat who happens upon a place called Eight Bridges, where a river branches into eight channels, each spanned by a bridge. Admiring the lush growth of irises, he composes a poem of five lines, each beginning with one syllable of the Japanese word for iris, which immortalized the flower's association with the place. The poem expresses his longing for a loved one left behind in the capital:I have a beloved wife,Familiar as the skirtOf a well-worn robe,And so this distant journeyingFills my heart with grief.. Courtesans in an Iris Garden. Katsukawa Shunch (Japanese, active ca. 1783-95). Japan. late 18th century. Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper. Edo per

Triptych of Umbrellas Okumura Masanobu Japanese. Triptych of Umbrellas 55752

Women and a girl on the background of a landscape EISHI, CHOBUNSAI (1756 1829)

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