The Third Month (Sangatsu), from the series "Twelve Months in the South (Minami juni ko)"
c. 1784
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban diptych
Dimensions
39.1 × 51.3 cm (overall), 38.1 × 25.3 cm (right sheet), 39.0 × 26.0 cm (left sheet)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
21613
Art Historical Context
Torii Kiyonaga (1752–1815), a master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition, created *The Third Month (Sang)* around 1784 as part of his series *Twelve Months in South (Minami jūni kō)*. This color woodblock print, an oban diptych measuring nearly 39 x 51 cm when joined, exemplifies the vibrant genre scenes popular in Edo-period Japan (1603–1868). Kiyonaga, from the renowned Torii school known for theatrical prints, elevated ukiyo-e with his elegant depictions of women, landscapes, and daily life, bridging the Kamigata (Kyoto-Osaka) style with Edo sophistication. The dipt...
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...