Evening Snow at Kinryuzan Temple (Kinryuzan no bosetsu), from the series "Eight Fashionable Views of Edo (Furyu Edo hakkei)"
c. 1778
Medium
Color woodblock print; half hosoban (right side)
Dimensions
31 × 7.3 cm (12 1/4 × 2 7/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
89284
Art Historical Context
Torii Kiyonaga (1752–1815), a master of ukiyo-e woodblock printing during Japan's Edo period, created *Evening Snow at Kinryuzan Temple (Kinryuzan no bosetsu)* around 1778 as part of his series *Eight Fashionable Views of EdoFuryu Edo hakkei)*. This innovative series playfully reimagined traditional Chinese-inspired "eight views" motifs—famous landscapes evoking poetic melancholy—with stylish scenes of contemporary Edo (modern Tokyo) life. Kiyonaga, from the esteemed Torii school known for theatrical prints, excelled in capturing elegant figures and atmospheric beauty, blending realism with po...
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...