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The Floating World

Japanese woodblock prints of the floating world: actors, courtesans, landscapes and the sea.

172 works · hang 355 ·

The rooms are imagined; every work on their walls is real.

Walk this roomRehang this room

Section 1, north wall

  1. A work made of color woodblock print; oban.
    The actor Osagawa Tsuneyo II as Osan, Ippei’s elder sisterTōshūsai Sharaku, 1794Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. A work made of color woodblock print; hosoban.
    Actor Nakamura Nakazô I as Osada no Tarô in The Genji Clan Now at Its Zenith (Ima o sakari suehiro Genji)Katsukawa Shunshō, About 1768Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Kabuki Actors Asao Yūjirō as Sano Genzaemon and Ichikawa Ebijūrō I as Miura Arajirō, in the play Keisei Sano no Funabashi, by Shunkōsai Hokushū, 1822
    Kabuki Actors Asao Yūjirō as Sano Genzaemon and Ichikawa Ebijūrō I as Miura Arajirō, in the play Keisei Sano no FunabashiShunkōsai Hokushū, 1822Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 1, south wall

  1. A View of the Large New Room at Sakurai, by Utagawa Kunisada, early or mid 1830s
    A View of the Large New Room at SakuraiUtagawa Kunisada, early or mid 1830sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. “Hour of the Rat: Mistress,” from the series Women’s Daily Customs (Fuzoku bijin tokei), by Kitagawa Utamaro, 1790
    “Hour of the Rat: Mistress,” from the series Women’s Daily Customs (Fuzoku bijin tokei)Kitagawa Utamaro, 1790Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. Bandō Mitsugorō III as Daihanji Kiyozumi and Arashi Koroku IV as Koganosuke, by Shunkōsai Hokushū, 1821
    Bandō Mitsugorō III as Daihanji Kiyozumi and Arashi Koroku IV as KoganosukeShunkōsai Hokushū, 1821Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 2, south wall

  1. The Doll Festival, Third Day of the Third Month, by Kubo Shunman, 19th century
    The Doll Festival, Third Day of the Third MonthKubo Shunman, 19th centuryCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Sugatano of Sugata Ebisuya in the Morning, Hour of the Rabbit, from the series The Twelve Hours in the Pleasure Quarters, by Kikukawa Eizan, 1812
    Sugatano of Sugata Ebisuya in the Morning, Hour of the Rabbit, from the series The Twelve Hours in the Pleasure QuartersKikukawa Eizan, 1812Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. Three Kabuki Actors Playing Hanetsuki, by Utagawa Kuniyasu, ca. 1823
    Three Kabuki Actors Playing HanetsukiUtagawa Kuniyasu, ca. 1823Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 2, north wall

  1. Passengers in a Ferry Boat on the Sumida River, by Torii Kiyonaga, 1784
    Passengers in a Ferry Boat on the Sumida RiverTorii Kiyonaga, 1784Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. A Girl Writing a Letter, by Suzuki Harunobu, 18th century
    A Girl Writing a LetterSuzuki Harunobu, 18th centuryCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. A View of the Large New Room at Sakurai, by Utagawa Kunisada, early or mid 1830s
    A View of the Large New Room at SakuraiUtagawa Kunisada, early or mid 1830sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Section 3, north wall

  1. Net Fishing at Night on the Sumida River, by Kitagawa Utamaro, c. 1800
    Net Fishing at Night on the Sumida RiverKitagawa Utamaro, c. 1800Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Children Playing in the Snow under Plum Trees in Bloom (Secchū baisō gunji yūgi zu), by Yōshū (Hashimoto) Chikanobu, November 1887
    Children Playing in the Snow under Plum Trees in Bloom (Secchū baisō gunji yūgi zu)Yōshū (Hashimoto) Chikanobu, November 1887Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 3, south wall

  1. Collection of Desires, Wish for Foreign Travel (Mitate Tai zukushi-yōkō ga shitai), by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, January, 1878
    Collection of Desires, Wish for Foreign Travel (Mitate Tai zukushi-yōkō ga shitai)Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, January, 1878Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Kanō, from the series Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaidō, by Utagawa Hiroshige, c. 1835–37
    Kanō, from the series Sixty-nine Stations of the KisokaidōUtagawa Hiroshige, c. 1835–37Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art