鈴木春信画 見立三夕 「西行法師」|A Young Man and Woman with a Shamisen; Monk Saigyō, from a series alluding to the Three Evening Poems (Sanseki waka)
ca. 1768
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
11 1/6 x 8 1/4 in. (28.4 x 21 cm) medium-size block (chu-ban)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Henry L. Phillips Collection, Bequest of Henry L. Phillips, 1939
Accession Number
JP2772
Tags
Art Historical Context
Suzuki Harunobu's *A Young Man and Woman with a Shamisen; Saigyō, from a series alluding to the Evening Poems (Sanse waka)* (ca. 1768) is a delightful example of Edo-period ukiyo woodblock printing. Harunobu, a master, pioneered full-color nishiki-e prints around 1765, transforming the "pictures of the floating world" with vibrant inks layered on paper. This chu-ban format—compact at about 11 x 8 inches—was perfect for affordable, intimate viewing in urban Japan, capturing the pleasures of everyday life amid the bustling culture of 18th-century Edo (modern Tokyo). The print playfully reimagin...
About the Artist
Suzuki Harunobu · 1725–1770
Suzuki Harunobu (c. 1725-1770) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who revolutionized woodblock printing by developing nishiki-e—full-color prints using multiple woodblocks—in 1765. Before Harunobu, Japanese prints were limited to two or three colors; his innovation unleashed the entire artist's palette, transforming ukiyo-e into the vibrant art form that would later captivate Western artists from Manet...