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Image

  • A polychrome woodblock print of seven women merry-making on a canopied boat. Some play music while others drink and enjoy the view.

Chōbunsai Eishi

Beauties Boating on the Sumida River

Description

Maker

Chōbunsai Eishi (Japanese, 1756-1829)
Nishimuraya Yohachi 西村屋与八 (Japanese, 1759-1869), publisher

Title

Beauties Boating on the Sumida River

Period

Edo (Japanese period)

Year

1790s

Medium

  • Two prints from a polychrome woodblock-printed triptych

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Two prints from a polychrome woodblock-printed triptych

Materials

color, ink

Supports

  • paper

Geography

Place Made: Japan; Place Made: Tokyo

Dimensions

Two parts of a vertical ōban triptych: 37.2 x 48.9 cm (14 5/8 x 19 1/4 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscription verso, bottom center in pencil: EGR213.1-.2

Signature: Eishi ga

Seals: Publisher's emblem

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke

Object Number

20.1133

Type

  • Prints

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Striking Chords
Music in *Ukiyo-E* Prints
Feb 05, 2022 – Jul 31, 2022

Label copy

At first glance, these prints of Edo-period courtesans relaxing on a pleasure boat and indulging in music, food, and drink are not unusual, as they depict a popular contemporary pastime. Missing, however, is the left-most image depicting the historical figure Shizuka Gozen (1165-1211), a dancer typically identifiable by her trailing sleeves. Gozen heightened an existing conflict between the samurai Minamoto Yoshitsune (1159-1189) and his brother, the shogun Minamoto Yoritomo (1147-1199). The dancing figure and Minamoto crest on the curtains of the boat evoke this historical reference.

Edo Culture II
Life in the Pleasure Quarters
Dec 16, 1994 – Mar 05, 1995

Related Objects

Related Objects

No Image Available

Chōbunsai Eishi

Beauties boating on the Sumida River (Bijin noryo zu), Edo (Japanese period)
No Image Available

Chōbunsai Eishi

Beauties boating on the Sumida River (Bijin noryo zu), Edo (Japanese period)

More objects +

Use & Feedback

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

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

Tombstone

Chōbunsai Eishi (Japanese, 1756-1829)
Nishimuraya Yohachi 西村屋与八 (Japanese, 1759-1869), publisher
Beauties Boating on the Sumida River, 1790s
Two prints from a polychrome woodblock-printed triptych
Two parts of a vertical ōban triptych: 37.2 x 48.9 cm (14 5/8 x 19 1/4 inches)
Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke 20.1133

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Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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