The First Month (Mutsuki), from the series "Fashionable Twelve Seasons (Furyu juni kiko)"
c. 1779
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions
26.1 × 19.2 cm (10 5/16 × 7 9/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
21242
Art Historical Context
Torii Kiyonaga (1752–1815), a leading figure in Japan's ukiyo-e tradition during the late Edo period, created *The First Month (Muki)* around 1779 as part of his celebrated series *Fashionable Twelve Seasons (Furyu juni kiko)*. This color woodblock print in the compact chuban format (26.1 × 19.2 cm) captures the elegance of everyday life, showcasing beautifully dressed women amid seasonal motifs. As the first installment representing January—Mutsuki in the traditional lunar calendar—it likely evokes New Year's festivities, blending fashion with cultural rituals in the "floating world" of urban...
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...