"Two Girls on a Porch," Suzuki Harunobu, c. 1750.

Little is known of Harunobu (c. 1725 - 1770) other than his art. He was an innovator, the first to do full-color woodblock prints, rather than two or three color prints.

Although a prominent member of the ukiyo-e school, he didn't limit himself to geishas, courtesans, actors, and sumo wrestlers, but also many ordinary people of Edo street life, like street vendors, errand boys, workmen, and others. He often quoted poetry that related to his subject in some way, but also would often poke fun at his subject.

Here we have two young women on a porch; they wear form-fitting kimonos and their hair is in elaborate styles, so according to my sketchy knowledge, that may indicate they're courtesans. That their sashes are tied in the back indicates they were dressed by maids. One holds a broom or mop but is pausing in her labors to look at a scroll held by the other. Is it a poem? A letter from an admirer? Impossible for me to tell, and I don't have access to any translations of the calligraphy, so I can only guess. But it's a nice image anyway.

From the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Charlotte, NC\

#Art #JapaneseArt #AsianArt #SuzukiHarunobu #Ukiyo_e #FloatingWorld #Woodcut #WomenInArt

#art #ukiyo_e #hana

https://www.uenotoshogu.com/

"Spring Evening, Ueno Toshogu Shrine"
("Haru no Yu (Ueno Toshogu)")

"Water Lilies," Ohara Koson, 1920s.

Ohara (1877-1945) was a pre-eminent painter and woodblock print designer of the late 18th and early 20th centuries. He belonged to the shin-hanga school, which revived the styles and aesthetics of the ukiyo-e school, but also was a major practitioner of the kachō-e subschool... kachō-e means "bird and flower". His specialty was images of the transitory moments of nature, like a bird that could fly away any second, or as we have here, beautiful blooms but with a pad that's been nibbled on.

He also did some historical work, with scenes from the Russo-Japanese war, and some satirical prints, like a delightful scene of sumo-wrestling frogs. But his kachō-e work is best-known. He sold well in the United States, even during the start of WWII.

From the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

#Art #AsianArt #JapaneseArt #WaterLilies #OharaKoson #ukiyo_e #Kacho_e #BirdsAndFlowers #Woodcut #FlowerFriday

"Famous Heroes of the Kabuki Stage Played by Frogs," Utagawa Kuniyoshi, c. 1875.

Utagawa was sometimes dissatisfied and disaffected with the shogunate in Japan, which led him to create some stunning works of caricature, which can be seen here. Here we have an assortment of scenes from various kabuki plays, all apparently dealing with dramatic deeds by samurai...only with frogs.

These were the days of the Tenpō Reforms, which cracked down on entertainment and banned luxury goods. Kabuki actors were required to wear hats outside lest they be too conspicuous, and the content of ukiyo-e art and popular literature was regulated.

The censorship had the unintended consequence of forcing Utagawa to be very creative and sneaky with his material. Caricature such as this was a veiled criticism of the shogunate, and while it technically evaded the censors, the public ate it up, along with other caricatures he did.

So we can add Utagawa to the Caricature Hall of Fame, with Goya and Daumier!

Interestingly, this print is commonly dated to c. 1875, but Utagawa died in 1861, so I assume this was a design he put together that was printed posthumously.

From the Library of Congress, Washington, DC

#Art #JapaneseArt #AsianArt #ukiyo_e #Caricature #Frogs #Kabuki #Ribbit #UtagawaKuniyoshi

"Horikiri Iris Garden," Hiroshige, 1856.

The Japanese village of Horikiri was famous for its flowers, many of which were sold in Edo (modern-day Tokyo). The gardens there were also a favorite destination for day trips from the city.

We don't see the actual village here, but we do get some prized irises that grew well in the marshy terrain around Horikiri. This was part of a series of 119 prints Hiroshige made of everyday scenes in Edo and the surrounding area.

From the Brooklyn Museum.

#Art #AsianArt #JapaneseArt #ukiyo_e #Hiroshige #FridayFlowers #Irises

"Feminine Wave," Katsushika Hokusai, 1845.

OK, I don't know what's "feminine" about this, but this is a great dramatic work by that master of the Ukiyo-e style, Hokusai, who also gave us another famous wave, that one with Mt. Fuji in the background, that's reproduced everywhere.

This is my way of saying to all my women/femme followers....don't forget, you still have power. You are still leaders. Don't let today derail you. Fight harder. Be that wave that pounds the rocks into sand. I will fight with you.

From the Sumida Hokusai Museum, Tokyo.

#Art #AsianArt #JapaneseArt #Ukiyo_e #Hokusai #BlueWave #WomensRights #ContinueTheFight

"Woman with Cat on the Table," Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1832.

Utagawa (1798-1861) was the last great master of ukiyo-e, and had many subjects in his life...including women, landscapes, Kabuki actors, mythical scenes, and great heroic samurai. However, no matter what, he seems to have been fond of cats, as they show up in many of his works.

Here, the woman is lounging on what is probably a cold evening, with a book and a pipe, and her legs under a kotatsu, a low open wooden frame covered by a cloth and with a heat source underneath. The cat seems annoyed, though; he's arching his back and hissing, and her expression seems to say, "What's your problem?"

Got cold nights comin'! I may have to put a quilt on my bed this weekend...

From the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

#Art #AsianArt #JapaneseArt #ukiyo_e #CatsOfMastodon #UtagawaKuniyoshi

"Tea Things," Totoya Hokkei, 19th Century.

Hokkei (1780-1850) was Hokusai's greatest student and a popular printmaker of the Edo period. His forte was surimono, or elaborate woodblock prints. His prints were in demand among Edo's cultured and affluent crowd, with many prints being commissioned specially.

Hokkei was also a prolific illustrator, with his prints showing up in books of the period.

It's a chilly, rainy night here...I could use some tea!

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

#Art #JapaneseArt #AsianArt #Tea #Hokkei #ukiyo_e #surimoto #Edo #WoodblockPrint

#throwbackthursday 🐾 8AM@JP
#懐かし木曜日 🐾 あさ8時 #おはよう ございます

Today is #CatDay in Japan 😺 Cats have always been loved as a symbol of good luck.

During the #Edo period, even famous #ukiyo_e artists like #Hokusai and #Kuniyoshi eagerly painted scenes of cats.

May your day be as free and blessed as a cat's 🙌

　
今日、日本は #猫の日 です😺昔から猫は縁起の良い動物として愛されてきました

#江戸時代 には #葛飾北斎 や #歌川国芳 といった #浮世絵 師もこぞって猫絵を描きました

猫のように自由で御利益のある良い日でありますように🙌
#aiart #morning #wrtn #bingimagecreator #猫絵 #catofmastodon