Scene in het Daifukuya huis
1783 - 1787
Medium
color woodcut
Dimensions
188; 246
About this artwork
collector's mark: Lugt 2971
Art Historical Context
Torii Kiyonaga's *Scene in het Daifukuya huis* (1783–1787) captures a lively moment in the famed Daifukuya teahouse of Yoshiwara, Edo's (modern Tokyo) premier pleasure district. As a leading figure in the ukiyo-e tradition—the "pictures of the floating world"—Kiyonaga specialized in bijin-ga, elegant depictions of courtesans and everyday urban life. This color woodcut, measuring a compact 246 × 188 mm, reflects vibrant social scene of late 18th-century Japan, where teahouses like Daifukuya served as hubs for entertainment, conversation, and fleeting romances amid the era's economic boom. Kiyo...
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...