ぶんしやう物語|The Tale of Bunshō (Bunshō monogatari)
ca. 1685
Medium
Set of two woodblock printed books; ink on paper
Dimensions
Each: 8 3/4 × 6 1/8 × 1/8 in. (22.2 × 15.6 × 0.3 cm)
Classification
Illustrated Books
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Howard Mansfield Collection, Gift of Howard Mansfield, 1936
Accession Number
JIB122a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
Hishikawa Moronobu *The Tale of Bunsh (Bunshō monari)*, created around 1685, is a set of two woodblock-printed books from Japan's Edo period (1615–1868). Measuring a compact 8¾ × 6⅛ inches each, these ink-on-paper volumes exemplify early ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" that celebrated everyday life, theater, and popular tales. Moronobu, often hailed as the first master ukiyo-e illustration, brought dynamic energy to his figures through fluid lines and expressive poses, making this work a cornerstone of the genre's development in book form (ehon). The story of Bunshō likely draws...
About the Artist
Hishikawa Moronobu 菱川師宣 (Japanese) · 1618 –1694
Japanese, 1618–1694