Go Gatsu|The Fifth Month
ca. 1748
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H. 12 1/4 in. (31.1 cm); W. 2 15/16 in. (7.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Estate of Samuel Isham, 1914
Accession Number
JP844
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Go Gatsu (The Fifth Month)**, created around 1748 by Ishikawa Toyon, is a delicate woodblock print from Japan's Edo period (16151868). Toyonobu, a prominent ukiyo-e artist under Nishimura Shigenaga captured the vibrant "floating world" of everyday life, theater, and festivals in his works. This narrow print—measuring just 12¼ × 2⅞ inches—exemplifies the intimate scale often used for series or albums, allowing affordable access to art for urban dwellers in Edo (modern Tokyo). The title refers to the fifth month of the lunar calendar, associated with Tango no Sekku, or Boys' Day, a time when ...
About the Artist
Ishikawa Toyonobu · 1711–1785
Japanese, 1711–1785