Ise watching a flock of geese, from an untitled series of court ladies

Art Historical Context

Torii Kiyonaga's *Ise Watching a Flock of Geese*, created around 1785, captures a serene moment from an untitled series depicting elegant court ladies. This color woodblock print, in the coveted oban format (37.4 × 24.6 cm), showcases Kiyonaga's mastery of *bijin-ga*—images of beautiful women—within the vibrant ukiyo-e tradition Edo-period Japan. The poised figure of Ise, likely inspired by literary heroines from classical tales like the *Tales of Ise*, gazes thoughtfully at passing geese, evoking the fleeting beauty of nature and human emotion amid the "floating world" of pleasure and transie...

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...