Tajima Province, from the series "Modern Scenes of the Provinces in Edo Brocades (Edo nishiki imayo kuni zukushi)"
Medium
Color woodblock print; bottom half of oban sheet
Dimensions
17.3 × 22.1 cm (6 13/16 × 8 11/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
130732
Art Historical Context
Behold the vibrant "Tajima Province," a color woodblock print from Utagawa Kuniyoshi's captivating series *Modern Scenes of the Provinces in Edocades (Edo nishiki imayo k zukushi)*, in 1852. This intimate bottom half of an oban sheet (17.3 × 22.1 cm) captures the essence of late Edo-period Japan through Kuniyoshi's masterful ukiyo-e style. As a leading figure in the Utagawa school, Kuniyoshi was renowned for his dynamic warrior prints and whimsical cats, but here he turns to provincial landscapes, blending realism with poetic flair. Nishiki-e, or "brocade pictures," refers to the luxurious mu...
About the Artist
Utagawa Kuniyoshi · 1797–1861
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) was born in Edo to the silk-dyer Yanagiya Kichiyemon, originally bearing the childhood name Yoshisaburō. From a young age, he assisted in his family's pattern design work, which sharpened his innate mastery of color and textile motifs that would permeate his later prints. At around twelve years old, his prodigious drawing skills drew the attention of the renowned Utag...