A Ferry on the Sumida River
c. 1787
Medium
Color woodblock print; center sheet of oban triptych
Dimensions
38.6 × 25.5 cm (15 1/4 × 10 1/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
18954
Art Historical Context
Torii Kiyonaga's *A Ferry on the Sumida River* (c. 1787) captures the vibrant everyday life of Edo-period Japan (modern Tokyo) in this exquisite color woodblock print. the center sheet of an oban triptych—a large-format series of three panels that together form a panoramic scene—this work measures 38.6 25.5 cm and exemplifies the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition. Kiyonaga, a master of the Torii school, was renowned for his elegant depictions of courtesans, actors, and urban scenes, blending graceful figures with intricate details of contemporary society. The Sumida River, ...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyonaga · 1752–1815
Torii Kiyonaga, born Sekiguchi Shinsuke in 1752 in Uraga, Sagami Province, was the son of an Edo bookseller who owned tenements near a bustling fish market. At age 14 in 1765, he began his apprenticeship under Torii Kiyomitsu, the third-generation head of the prestigious Torii school of ukiyo-e, renowned for kabuki theater illustrations and signage. Adopted into the Torii family, Kiyonaga succeede...