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The Floating World

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

172 works · hang 717 ·

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 woodblock print; sumizuri-e, kakemono-e.
    Standing BeautyKaigetsudo Anchi, About 1714Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. The Gossips, by Suzuki Harunobu, ca. 1767
    The GossipsSuzuki Harunobu, ca. 1767Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. Kinryūsan Temple at Asakusa, from the series "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo", by Utagawa Hiroshige, 1856
    Kinryūsan Temple at Asakusa, from the series "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo"Utagawa Hiroshige, 1856Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 1, south wall

  1. A work made of color woodblock print; chuban.
    Viewing the MoonSuzuki Harunobu, c. 1767/68Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. A work made of hand-colored woodblock print; toku-oban, urushi-e.
    Courtesan Reading a LetterIshikawa Toyonobu, c. 1745Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Kametani Jujiro as the Shirabyoshi Dancer Yuya, by Torii Kiyomitsu, c. early 1760s
    Kametani Jujiro as the Shirabyoshi Dancer YuyaTorii Kiyomitsu, c. early 1760sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Section 2, south wall

  1. Print showing a string of travelers with horses walking along a narrow hillside path beneath an enormous craggy beige mountain at left and an equally massive and craggy deep-blue mountain at right. A brown snow-covered peak appears between these mountains. A mass of cream-colored clouds and a river with rounded ripples fill the middle plane of the composition.
    The Back of Mount Fuji Seen from Minobu River (Minobugawa Urafuji), from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)Katsushika Hokusai, 1830-33Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. A work made of color woodblock print.
    Women and Children Viewing the FireworksKatsushika Hokusai, c. 1798Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. A work made of color woodblock print; chūban.
    Searching for FirefliesSuzuki Harunobu, 1768Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 2, north wall

  1. A work made of color woodblock print; oban triptych.
    Picture of Men and Women from Many Countries (Bankoku danjo jinbutsu zue)Utagawa Yoshiiku, 1861Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. 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 triptych.
    Eight Modern Views of Famous Places in Tokyo of Great Japan (Dai Nippon Tokyo kaika meisho hakkei no zu)Utagawa Kunisada II (Kunimasa III, Toyokuni IV), 1875Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. The Shika Teahouse, by Utagawa Toyokuni, early 1790s
    The Shika TeahouseUtagawa Toyokuni, early 1790sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Section 3, south wall

  1. France (furansukoku), by Utagawa Yoshitora, 2nd month, 1865
    France (furansukoku)Utagawa Yoshitora, 2nd month, 1865Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. “America”: Enjoying Hot Air Balloons, by Utagawa Yoshitora, 1867
    “America”: Enjoying Hot Air BalloonsUtagawa Yoshitora, 1867Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. Grasshopper and Iris, by Katsushika Hokusai, late 1820s
    Grasshopper and IrisKatsushika Hokusai, late 1820sCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art