Woman Viewing Cherry Blossoms
c. 1782
Medium
Color woodblock print; hashira-e
Dimensions
69.7 × 11.1 cm (27 1/2 × 4 3/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
36155
Art Historical Context
Torii Kiyonaga's *Woman Viewing Cherry Bloss* (c. 1782) is a captivating example of ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" that celebrated everyday beauty in Edo-period Japan (1603–1868). As a leading artist of the Torii school,iyonaga specialized in bijin-ga—elegant portrayals of beautiful women—capturing the grace and poise of urban life. This woodblock print depicts a solitary woman gazing at blooming cherry blossoms, evoking the cherished hanami tradition of flower-viewing parties, where sakura symbolize life's fleeting joys. Rendered as a hashira-e, or pillar print, its tall, narr...
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...