Ikuyo no mutsugoto (Nocturnal pillow talk)
Medium
Three color woodblock printed volumes
Dimensions
24 × 28 cm (9 1/2 × 11 in.)
Classification
book
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
204073
Art Historical Context
**Ikuyo no Mutsugoto (Nocturnal Pillow Talk)** Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni III), c. 1831* *Three color woodblock printed volumes,24 × 28 cm (9 ½ × 11 in.)* *Arts of Asia, Art Institute Chicago* Step into the vibrant world of-period Japan with Utagawa Kunada I's *Ikuyo no Mutsugoto*, a captivating set of three color woodblock printed volumes from 1831. Kunisada, a master of the Utagawa school and later known as Toyokuni III, was one of the most prolific ukiyo-e artists, renowned for his lively depictions of beauties, actors, and scenes from the "floating world" of pleasure and entertain...
About the Artist
Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni III) · 1786–1864
Utagawa Kunisada I, also known as Toyokuni III (1786–1865), was born Sumida Shōgorō in the Honjo district of Edo (modern Tokyo) into a family that operated a hereditary ferry-boat service, providing stability after his father's early death. Displaying prodigious talent in drawing from childhood, he became an apprentice to the master Utagawa Toyokuni I around 1801 at age fifteen, entering the prest...