The Seventh Month (Shichigatsu), from the series "Twelve Months in the South (Minami juni ko)"
c. 1783/84
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions
25.1 × 18.7 cm (9 15/16 × 7 3/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
22608
Art Historical Context
Torii Kiyonaga's *The Seventh Month (Shichigatsu)*, from the series *Twelve Months in the South (Minami jūni kō)*, captures the essence of summer in late 18th-century Japan Created around 1783–84 during the Edo period, this color woodblock print in the compact chuban format (25.1 × 18.7 cm) showcases Kiyonaga's mastery of ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" that celebrated everyday pleasures and beauty amid urban life in Edo (modern Tokyo). As a leading figure in the Torii school, traditionally known for actor prints, Kiyonaga elevated bijin-ga—depictions of elegant women—with his s...
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...