歌川國芳画 「源氏雲浮世画合 浮舟 / おまつ 赤堀水右衛門」|“‘A Boat Cast Adrift’ (Ukifune): Omatsu and Akabori Mizuemon,” from the series Scenes amid Genji Clouds Matched with Ukiyo-e Pictures (Genji-gumo ukiyo e-awase)
1845–46
Medium
Woodblock ōban print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image: 13 7/8 × 9 1/16 in. (35.2 × 23 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Ronin Gallery, 2018
Accession Number
2018.893.4
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868), Utagawa Kuniyoshi crafted this captivating woodblock print around 1845–46 as part of his series *Scenes amid Genji Clouds Matched with Uki-e Pictures* (*Genji-gumo ukiyo e-awase*). master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition, Kuniyoshi ingeniously paired iconic episodes from Murasaki Shikibu's11th-century novel *The Tale of Genji* dramatic scenes from kabuki theater popular tales. Here, the chapter "Ukifune" ("A Boat Cast Adrift")—depicting a heroine's perilous drift on a river—is reimagined through the story of the l...
About the Artist
Utagawa Kuniyoshi · 1797–1861
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) was born in Edo to the silk-dyer Yanagiya Kichiyemon, originally bearing the childhood name Yoshisaburō. From a young age, he assisted in his family's pattern design work, which sharpened his innate mastery of color and textile motifs that would permeate his later prints. At around twelve years old, his prodigious drawing skills drew the attention of the renowned Utag...