The Card Game
c. 1790
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban triptych
Dimensions
37 × 74.3 cm (14 5/8 × 29 5/16 in.); Left sheet: 37 × 25.3 cm (14 5/8 × 10 in.); Center sheet: 37.1 × 25.2 cm (14 5/8 × 9 15/16 in.); Right sheet: 37 × 25.2 cm (14 5/8 × 9 15/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
21515
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This scene is a wealthy home in Edo. To the left, four young men play a game of cards called karuta, which is still popular in modern Japan. It is played with two decks of one hundred cards each. In one version, the one hundred poet cards, each bearing a portrait of a poet, are spread out before the players. A moderator holds the poem cards and selects a line or phrase from a poem. Players must try to be the first to recognize the author and pick up the face card. The game winner holds the most ...
About the Artist
Utagawa Toyokuni I · 1777–1835
Japanese, 1777–1835