Utagawa Kunisada 歌川国貞 (Toyokuni III)

The Fifth Month: Flower Arranging Contest (皐月生花合 Satsuki, Ikebana awase)

Maker

Utagawa Kunisada 歌川国貞 (Toyokuni III) (1786-1865, b. in Edo, Japan)
Tsutaya Kichizō 蔦屋吉蔵 (1830-1859, Edo, Japan), publisher
Yokokawa Takejirō 横川彫武 (Edo in the mid-1800s), block carver

Title

The Fifth Month: Flower Arranging Contest (皐月生花合 Satsuki, Ikebana awase)
from the series The Twelve Months (十二月ノ内 Jūni tsuki no uchi)

Period

Edo Period

Year

1854, 6th month

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink and colors

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Japan

Dimensions

Vertical ōban triptych: 36 x 74.8 cm (14 3/16 x 29 7/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signature: 豊国画 Toyokuni ga (Pictured by Toyokuni) on each sheet


Seals: Designer's seal: Toshidama
Censor's seal: 改 Aratame,
Date seal: 寅六 Tiger 6
Blockcutter's seal: 彫竹 Hori Take
Publisher's seal: Ivy leaf below the three peaks of mount Fuji (蔦屋吉蔵 Tsutaya Kichizō)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Marshall H. Gould

Object Number

30.039.7

Type

Exhibition History

A Medley of Irises
Jun 13, 2026 – Nov 29, 2026
Kunisada's Twelve Month Series
Oct 10, 2008 – Feb 01, 2009

Label copy

The flower arrangements (ikebana) in this print all focus on irises, which bloom in the fifth month. The Boy’s Festival, celebrated on the fifth day of the month, was associated with a particular type of iris known as shobu.

Kunisada's Twelve Months
Images of Women in Japanese Woodblock Prints
Mar 07, 1997 – May 03, 1997
The Twelve Months at Home
Mar 27, 1992 – May 17, 1992

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Public Domain 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, Japan)
Tsutaya Kichizō 蔦屋吉蔵 (1830-1859, Edo, Japan), publisher
Yokokawa Takejirō 横川彫武 (Edo in the mid-1800s), block carver
The Fifth Month: Flower Arranging Contest (皐月生花合 Satsuki, Ikebana awase); from the series The Twelve Months (十二月ノ内 Jūni tsuki no uchi), 1854, 6th month
Polychrome woodblock-printed triptych (nishiki-e)
Vertical ōban triptych: 36 x 74.8 cm (14 3/16 x 29 7/16 inches)
Gift of Marshall H. Gould 30.039.7

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