Ama, from the series "Pictures of No Performances (Nogaku Zue)"
1898
Medium
Color woodblock print
Dimensions
Approx: 25.2 × 37.4 cm (10 × 15 3/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
154994
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia collection, where Tsukioka Kôgyo's *Ama, from the "Pictures of No Performances (Nogaku Zue)"* (1898) captivates with its vivid portrayal of Noh theater. This color woodblock print, measuring approximately 25.2 × 37.4 cm, features the role of *Ama*—likely the female diver from classic Noh drama—frozen in a moment of graceful intensity. Kôgyo, a master of late ukiyo-e and shinpa theater prints, dedicated much of his career to immortalizing Noh performers, blending tradition with the Meiji era's artistic evolution. Printed during Japan's mod...
About the Artist
Tsukioka Kôgyo · 1869–1927
Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869–1927), born Hanyū Bennosuke in Tokyo's bustling Nihonbashi district as the second son of an innkeeper family, navigated a path from humble origins to mastery in Japanese printmaking. After his father's early death, he was raised by his mother's Sakamaki family and apprenticed in pottery painting under his uncle, a ceramics exporter in Yokohama. He briefly attended the Tokyo Sc...