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The Floating World

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

172 works · hang 3950 ·

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.
    Osumi, a Tayu of the Tsuchiya in the Shinmachi Quarter in OsakaEishosai Choki, c. 1796/97Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Boating Party on the Sumida River, by Torii Kiyonaga, 1789
    Boating Party on the Sumida RiverTorii Kiyonaga, 1789Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. Incense Boxes with a Wrapping Cloth, by Kubo Shunman, 1808
    Incense Boxes with a Wrapping ClothKubo Shunman, 1808Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 1, south wall

  1. “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
  2. Jihei of Kamiya Eloping with the Geisha Koharu of Kinokuniya, from the series “True Feelings Compared: The Founts of Love” (Jitsu kurabe iro no Minakami), by Kitagawa Utamaro, ca. 1798–99
    Jihei of Kamiya Eloping with the Geisha Koharu of Kinokuniya, from the series “True Feelings Compared: The Founts of Love” (Jitsu kurabe iro no Minakami)Kitagawa Utamaro, ca. 1798–99Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. A color woodblock print of a large crashing wave, looms over two narrow boats full of people. Mt Fuji in the background. There is a faint peach colored sky.
    Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), also known as The Great Wave, from the series "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei)"Katsushika Hokusai, 1830/33Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 2, south wall

  1. Poem by Minamoto no Muneyuki from the series One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets Explained by the Nurse, by Katsushika Hokusai, 1835–36
    Poem by Minamoto no Muneyuki from the series One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets Explained by the NurseKatsushika Hokusai, 1835–36Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. A work made of page from a color woodblock-printed volume.
    The Poetess Shunzei no Musume, from the series The Thirty-six Immortal Women Poets (Nishikizuri onna sanjurokkasen)Chôbunsai Eishi, Edo period (1615–1868), 1801Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Fudō Myōō Threatening a Novice, by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1885
    Fudō Myōō Threatening a NoviceTsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1885Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 2, north wall

  1. 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
  2. A work made of color woodblock print; oban.
    The Plum Orchard at Kamata (Kamata no umezono), from the series "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)"Utagawa Hiroshige, 1857Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. A work made of color woodblock print; ōban.
    Awa Province: Naruto Whirlpools (Awa, Naruto no fūha), from the series Famous Places in the Sixty-Odd Provinces (Rokujūyoshmeisho zue)Utagawa Hiroshige, 1855Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 3, north wall

  1. A work made of color woodblock print; surimono.
    Three Types of ChrysanthemumsKitao Shigemasa, c. 1790Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. A work made of color woodblock print.
    Tsuten-kyo Bridge, Tofuku Temple, Kyoto (Kyoto Tofukuji Tsutenkyo bashi) from the series “One Hundred Famous Views in the Various Provinces (Shokoku meisho hyakkei)”Utagawa Hiroshige II, 1859Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 3, south wall

  1. Kabuki Actor Ōtani Oniji III as Yakko Edobei, by Tōshūsai Sharaku, 1794
    Kabuki Actor Ōtani Oniji III as Yakko EdobeiTōshūsai Sharaku, 1794Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. A work made of color woodblock print; oban triptych.
    Iris GardenKatsukawa Shunchô, c. 1781/89Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago