Returning Sails (Kihan), from the series "Eight Views of Snow Scenes (Yukimi hakkei)"
c.1810s
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
37.8 × 25.1 cm (14 7/8 × 9 7/8 in.)
Classification
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
34453
Art Historical Context
In the serene glow of a snowy twilight, Utagawa Toyokuni I's *Returning Sails (K)* captures a poignant moment from his series *Eight Views of Scenes (Yukimikei)*, created around the 1810s during Japan's Edo period. Toyokuni I, a leading figure in the ukiyo-e tradition—"pictures of the floating world"—fully depicted everyday beauty and theater, but here he turns to poetic landscapes. This print evokes the classic Japanese motif of the "Eight Views," inspired by Chinese poetry and adapted to celebrate snow-draped scenes, symbolizing transience and quiet introspection amid winter's hush. Printed...
About the Artist
Utagawa Toyokuni I · 1777–1835
Japanese, 1777–1835