Floor plan

North wing: East AsiaThe Floating World

The Floating World

A work made of color woodblock print; oban.
A work made of color woodblock print; vertical oban diptych.
A work made of color woodblock print; hosoban.
Passengers in a Ferry Boat on the Sumida River, by Torii Kiyonaga, 1784
Miyako Shell, by Katsushika Hokusai, probably 1821
Collection of Desires, Wish for Foreign Travel (Mitate Tai zukushi-yōkō ga shitai), by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, January, 1878

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

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

Section 1, north wall

  1. A work made of color woodblock print; oban.
    The actor Ichikawa Omezo as the manservant IppeiTōshūsai Sharaku, 1794Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. A work made of color woodblock print; vertical oban diptych.
    Image of a Japanese Woman (Fujo Yamato sugata)Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni III), c. 1830/35Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. A work made of color woodblock print; hosoban.
    Actor Ichikawa Monnosuke II in an Unidentified RoleKatsukawa Shunkо̄, About 1785Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 1, south 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. Miyako Shell, by Katsushika Hokusai, probably 1821
    Miyako ShellKatsushika Hokusai, probably 1821Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. 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

Section 2, south wall

  1. A work made of color woodblock print; oban.
    Fireworks at Ryōgoku (Ryōgoku hanabi), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)Utagawa Hiroshige, 1858Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. “America”: Enjoying Hot Air Balloons, by Utagawa Yoshitora, 1867
    “America”: Enjoying Hot Air BalloonsUtagawa Yoshitora, 1867Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 2, north wall

  1. Ichikawa Ebizo IV in the role of Takemura Sadanoshin, by Tōshūsai Sharaku, Probably late 1880s or early 1890s
    Ichikawa Ebizo IV in the role of Takemura SadanoshinTōshūsai Sharaku, Probably late 1880s or early 1890sCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. A work made of color woodblock print; chuban.
    The Dance of the Shrine Maidens Ohatsu and OnamiSuzuki Harunobu, c. 1769Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. 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

Section 3, north wall

  1. A work made of color woodblock print; oban.
    The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro IV in a "Shibaraku" Role, Possibly from the Play Ima o Sakari Suehiro Genji (The Genji Clan Now at Its Zenith), Performed at the Nakamura Theater from the First Day of the Eleventh Month, 1768Katsukawa Shunshō, c. 1768Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Plate from the Erotic Book Mounds of Dyed Colors: A Pattern Book for the Boudoir (Someiro no yama neya no hinagata), First Month, by Okumura Masanobu, ca. 1736–44
    Plate from the Erotic Book Mounds of Dyed Colors: A Pattern Book for the Boudoir (Someiro no yama neya no hinagata), First MonthOkumura Masanobu, ca. 1736–44Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. A work made of color woodblock print; chuban.
    Giving a Light by the Garyubai Plum TreeSuzuki Harunobu, c. 1767/68Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 3, south wall

  1. Courtesans at Leisure from the series The Six Immortal Poets, by Katsukawa Shunzan, early 1780s
    Courtesans at Leisure from the series The Six Immortal PoetsKatsukawa Shunzan, early 1780sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Matsumoto Koshiro IV as the Fish Peddler Gorobei, by Tōshūsai Sharaku, Probably late 1880s or early 1890s
    Matsumoto Koshiro IV as the Fish Peddler GorobeiTōshūsai Sharaku, Probably late 1880s or early 1890sCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art