Kitagawa Utamaro 喜多川歌麿

Shells (Kaigara)

Maker

Kitagawa Utamaro 喜多川歌麿 (Japanese, 1754-1806)
Tsutaya Jūzaburō 蔦屋重三郎 (Japanese, 1750 - 1797), publisher

Title

Shells (Kaigara)
Gifts of the Ebb Tide

Period

Edo Period

Year

ca. 1788

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink, color

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Japan; Place Made: Tokyo

Dimensions

Plate: 23.3 x 37.3 cm (9 3/16 x 14 11/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscription verso, bottom left in pencil: 276

Signature: Signed on preface | Akera Kanko; signed on postscript page | Chieta

Seals: Artist's seal | Jisei Ikka

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Object Number

34.588

Type

Exhibition History

Samurai At Leisure
Nov 26, 2019 – May 24, 2020

Label copy

Seashells scatter along the lower half of two pages of this luxuriously produced poetry anthology. Each of the crustaceans is wonderfully detailed, embellished with glittering mica and fine embossing. Six poems weave across the top of the page, echoing the marine life depicted. This exquisite illustration reflects a collaboration

orchestrated by the visionary publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo (1750-1797) between skilled artists, carvers, printers, and poets. Akera Kanko (1740-1800), the leader of the poetry group and editor of this compilation, was a samurai in the service of the Tokugawa shogunate. His wealth and position undoubtedly lent much prestige to

the publication.

Japanese Prints
Nature in Microcosm
Mar 10, 1998 – Jun 09, 1998

Image use

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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

Kitagawa Utamaro 喜多川歌麿 (Japanese, 1754-1806)
Tsutaya Jūzaburō 蔦屋重三郎 (Japanese, 1750 - 1797), publisher
Shells (Kaigara); Gifts of the Ebb Tide, ca. 1788
Polychrome woodblock print with embossing and metallic embellishments
Plate: 23.3 x 37.3 cm (9 3/16 x 14 11/16 inches)
Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 34.588

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