The Eighth Month (Hachi gatsu), from the series "Fashionable Twelve Months (Furyu junikagetsu)"
c. 1793
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions
25.7 × 19.1 cm (10 1/8 × 7 9/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
24364
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1603–1868), Utagawa Toyokuni (1769–1825) captured the fleeting pleasures of urban life through his ukiyo-e woodblock prints—"pictures of the floating world."The Eighth Month (Hachi gatsu)*, created around 1793, hails from his series *Fashionable Twelve Months (Fu junikagetsu)*, a charming set evoking seasonal elegance and contemporary fashion. Each print likely showcases beauties or scenes tied to the lunar calendar's eighth month (late summer), reflecting festivals like Obon or the sultry allure of August leisure. Toyokuni's mastery shines in this ch...
About the Artist
Utagawa Toyokuni I · 1777–1835
Japanese, 1777–1835