The Kagura Dancer
c. 1766
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions
28.3 × 21 cm (11 1/8 × 8 1/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
20840
Art Historical Context
Suzuki Harunobu's *The Kagura Dancer (c. 1766) is a captivating color woodblock print from Japan's ukiyo-e tradition, showcasing the artist's pioneering role in full-color printing Measuring 28.3 × 21 cm in the chuban format—a compact size ideal for affordable, intimate viewing—this work captures a graceful figure mid-performance in kagura, a sacredinto ritual dance performed to entertain the gods. Harunobu, active during the Edo period (1603–1868), revolutionized printmaking around 1765 by introducing *nishiki-e* (brocade pictures), layering vibrant hues through multiple carved woodblocks for...
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...