The Sixth Month (Minatsuki), from the series "Fashionable Twelve Months (Furyu juniko)"
c. 1779
Medium
Color woodblock print; koban
Dimensions
22.6 × 15.6 cm (8 15/16 × 6 3/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
21239
Art Historical Context
Torii Kiyonaga *The Sixth Month (Minuki)*, created around 1779, is a charming color woodblock print from series *Fashionable Twelve (Furyu juniko)*. This koban-format work—measuring just 22.6 × 15.6 cm—captures refined beauty of women in summer attire, evoking the vibrant "floating world" (ukiyo) of Edo-period Japan. Minatsuki, the sixth month in the traditional lunar calendar (roughly June), likely depicts elegant figures enjoying seasonal leisure, showcasing Kiyonaga's signature bijin-ga style of graceful, elongated forms and harmonious compositions. As a master of the Torii school, Kiyonag...
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...