Gok'koku jimbutsu gyo...no zu|Picture of a Parade of the Five Nations
3rd month, 1861
Medium
Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image (a): 14 1/4 x 9 3/4 in. (36.2 x 24.8 cm) Image (b): 14 1/4 x 9 3/4 in. (36.2 x 24.8 cm) Image (c): 14 1/4 x 9 3/4 in. (36.2 x 24.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of William S. Lieberman, 2005
Accession Number
2007.49.126a–c
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking triptych, created by Utagawa Sadahide in the third month of 1861, captures a lively parade of figures from five nations parading through the streets. Rendered as three woodblock prints in ink and color on paper, the work exemplifies the vibrant ukiyo-e tradition of the late Edo period. Sadahide, a skilled print designer associated with the Utagawa school, was renowned for his detailed Yokohama-e scenes that documented the newly arrived Western communities following Japan’s opening to international trade. The composition highlights men and women in varied attire, accompanied by f...
About the Artist
Utagawa (Gountei) Sadahide · 1807–1873
Utagawa Sadahide was born Hashimoto Kenjirō in 1807 in Fusa Province, in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture, Japan. In the 1820s he entered the studio of the enormously prolific and influential master Utagawa Kunisada, becoming one of Kunisada's most prominent pupils and adopting the studio name Sadahide along with the Utagawa school's celebrated lineage. By 1828 his name appeared on a monument l...