No. 6 (roku), from the series "Women Engaged in the Sericulture Industry (Joshoku kaiko tewaza-gusa)"
c. 1798/1800
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
39 × 26 cm (15 3/8 × 10 1/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
24664
Art Historical Context
Kitagawa Utamaro’s “No. 6 (roku)” belongs to his celebrated series “Women Engaged in the Sericulture Industry,” created around 1798–1800. A leading master of ukiyo-e, Utamaro specialized in bijin-ga—images of beautiful women—yet here he turned his attention to the daily labor of silk production. The print portrays women at one stage of the intricate process that transformed silkworm cocoons into luxurious thread, underscoring the vital economic role of female workers in late-Edo Japan. Produced as a color woodblock print in the large oban format, the work exemplifies the refined printing tech...
About the Artist
Kitagawa Utamaro · 1753–1806
Kitagawa Utamaro (c. 1753-1806) was one of the most celebrated masters of ukiyo-e woodblock printing, revolutionizing the art of bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) during Japan's Edo period. Born Kitagawa Ichitaro, his early life remains shrouded in mystery, with conflicting accounts placing his birth in Kyoto, Osaka, Yoshiwara in Edo (modern Tokyo), or Kawagoe in Musashi Province. Under the t...