Women Visiting the Shrine of Shoichii Taro Inari Daimyo
about 1804
Medium
Color woodblock print; long surimono
Dimensions
Paper: 18.7 × 52.9 cm (7 3/8 × 20 7/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
81262
Art Historical Context
Katsushika Hokus's *Women Visiting the Shrine ofichii Taro Inari Daimyojin*, created around 1804, is a captivating color woodblock print in the rare long surimono format (18.7 × 52.9 cm). This scene captures elegant women in traditional attire making a pilgrimage to a Shinto shrine dedicated to Inari, the deity of rice, prosperity, and foxes. Hokusai, a master of ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world"), showcases his early prowess in this horizontal composition, where vibrant hues and delicate lines evoke the grace of everyday devotion during Japan's Edo period (1603–1868). Surimono prints...
About the Artist
Katsushika Hokusai · 1760–1849
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) stands as one of history's most influential artists, a Japanese master who revolutionized the ukiyo-e woodblock print tradition and profoundly shaped Western art. Born in the Katsushika district of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to an artisan family, Hokusai lived through nearly nine decades of extraordinary creative evolution, adopting over thirty different artistic names t...