Shirabyoshi Dancer in Asazuma boat
c. 1766
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions
28 × 20.4 cm (11 × 8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
64397
Art Historical Context
Suzuki Harunobu's *Shirabyoshi Dancer in Asazuma Boat* (c. 1766) captures a graceful moment from Japan's Edo-period "floating world" (ukiyo-e), where everyday pleasures and classical traditions intertwined. Harunobu, a pioneeringkiyo-e master, depicts a shirabyoshi—a female dancer known for her elegant, androgynous performances inspired by Heian-era nobility. Poised in a boat named Asazuma (evoking scenic Sum River locales), she embodies poetic beauty and transient joy, a hallmark of bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women). This chuban-format color woodblock print (28 × 20.4 cm) showcases Haru...
About the Artist
Suzuki Harunobu · 1725–1770
Suzuki Harunobu (c. 1725-1770) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who revolutionized woodblock printing by developing nishiki-e—full-color prints using multiple woodblocks—in 1765. Before Harunobu, Japanese prints were limited to two or three colors; his innovation unleashed the entire artist's palette, transforming ukiyo-e into the vibrant art form that would later captivate Western artists from Manet...