Ferry on the Rokugo River
c. 1784
Medium
Color woodblock print; right sheet of oban diptych
Dimensions
38.3 × 25.9 cm (15 1/8 × 10 1/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
22706
Art Historical Context
Torii Kiyonaga's *Ferry on the Rok River* (c. 1784) captures the vibrant everyday life of Edo-period Japan in this exquisite color woodblock print—the right sheet of an ob diptych measuring 38.3 × 25.9 cm. As a master of the uyo-e ("pictures of the floating world"), Kiyonaga specialized in bijin-ga, or images of beautiful women, but here he turns his gaze to a bustling river crossing, blending graceful figures with dynamic landscapes. Printed during the height of Japan's woodblock revolution, this work exemplifies nishiki-e, or "brocade prints," where intricate color layers were achieved throu...
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...