Image

Woodblock print of a seated woman, facing leftwards, wearing an orange-lined teal garment that fades to brown with floral embellishments against a backdrop of blossoming branches and pastel orange clouds.

Utagawa Kunisada 歌川 国貞 (Toyokuni III)

Hand games and flowering sleeves (拳角力花の振袖 Kenzumo hana no furisode)

Description

Maker

Utagawa Kunisada 歌川 国貞 (Toyokuni III) (1786-1865, b. in Edo)

Title

Hand games and flowering sleeves (拳角力花の振袖 Kenzumo hana no furisode)

Period

Edo Period

Year

1830s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink, color

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Tokyo

Dimensions

Sheet: 37.8 x 26 cm (14 7/8 x 10 1/4 inches) Right side of vertical ōban triptych

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signature: 香蝶 国貞画

Seals: Censor's seal | kiwame

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Bequest of Isaac C. Bates

Object Number

13.1382

Type

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Eating in Edo
Apr 01, 2023 – Oct 08, 2023

Label copy

Rice cakes, known in Japan as mochi, are eaten across East Asia during New Year’s celebrations. Primarily made from glutinous rice flour and water, mochi can be sweet or savory. Kagami mochi (mirror rice cakes) are popular ornaments for the Japanese New Year. Their name comes from their shape, said to resemble ancient bronze mirrors. In this print, kagami mochi are stacked on a stand in front of a screen of plum blossoms. After being displayed, the cakes are broken, cooked, and eaten in broth or with sweet red-bean paste.

Women of the Floating World
Nov 09, 1990 – Jan 06, 1991

Use & Feedback

Image use

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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Utagawa Kunisada 歌川 国貞 (Toyokuni III) (1786-1865, b. in Edo)
Yamamotoya Heikichi 山本屋平吉 (Japanese, 1816 - 1886), publisher
Hand games and flowering sleeves (拳角力花の振袖 Kenzumo hana no furisode), 1830s
Polychrome woodblock print
Sheet: 37.8 x 26 cm (14 7/8 x 10 1/4 inches) Right side of vertical ōban triptych
Bequest of Isaac C. Bates 13.1382

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