Chiyoda Castle (Album of Women)
Medium
Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
L. (page) 13 7/8 in. (35.2 cm); W. (page) 9 1/4 in. (23.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Meiji period (1868–1912)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. W. Walton Butterworth, 1979
Accession Number
JP3521
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of Meiji-era with *Chiyoda Castle ( of Women)*, a captivating triptych of woodblock prints by Yshū (Hashimoto) Chikanobu, in 1895. This masterpiece from the ukiyo-e tradition—meaning "pictures of the floating world"—showcases Chikanobu's mastery in depicting bijin-ga, or beautiful women, amid the opulent interiors of Chiyoda Castle, the Edo Castle and heart of the shogun's. Printed with vibrant inks and colors on delicate paper (each page measuring 13⅞ × 9¼ inches), the triptych format allows for panoramic storytelling, a hallmark of Japanese printmaking that unfold...
About the Artist
Yōshū (Hashimoto) Chikanobu · 1838–1912
Toyohara Chikanobu, born Hashimoto Naoyoshi in 1838 in Echigo Province (modern Niigata Prefecture), emerged as one of the last great ukiyo-e masters during Japan's Meiji era. The son of a low-ranking samurai retainer to the Sakakibara clan, he trained initially in the Kanō school of painting before turning to ukiyo-e printmaking. He studied under a disciple of Keisai Eisen, then joined the studio ...