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Utagawa Kunisada, The dandy (wakashu) Kosho Kichiza (Kasho Kichiza), 1843-1847. Gift of Roger S. Keyes and Elizabeth Coombs. RISD Museum, Providence

Introduction

Samurai At Leisure

November 26, 2019 - May 24, 2020

Beginning in the 1100s, the warrior class gained authority and importance in Japan, holding political and military power across the country. In 1615, the samurai warrior Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616) won a decisive battle to unify Japan, ending a period of continuous warfare between feudal lords.

In the 250 years of peace that followed, the elite samurai class no longer waged battles, turning instead to cultural pursuits and leisurely pastimes. Hawking and falconry were popular activities, as were plant cultivation and the art of flower arrangement. The tea ceremony, too, was an important interest that nurtured collecting and connoisseurship practices.

Peace also brought about rapid urbanization and the development of a lively town culture with a broad variety of entertainments. Idle samurai enthusiastically embraced these offerings, indulging in theatrical performances and frequenting designated pleasure quarters in urban areas to enjoy musical performances, the company of courtesans, and the various spectacles on display.

Wai Yee Chiong
Assistant Curator of Asian Art
RISD Museum

Abby Aldrich Rockefeller (1874–1948), a daughter of Rhode Island senator Nelson W. Aldrich and the wife of John D. Rockefeller Jr., was a lifelong supporter of the arts. Mrs. Rockefeller assembled a remarkable collection of Asian woodblock prints, donating more than 700 Japanese prints to the RISD Museum. Architect Philip Johnson was commissioned in 1952 by Mrs. Rockefeller’s sons, Nelson and David, and her sister, Lucy Truman Aldrich, to design a room for the continuous exhibition of Japanese prints at the RISD Museum. Originally located on the east side of this floor, the room has been recreated here to Johnson’s specifications.

Selected Objects

Japanese

Bizen Ware Tea Caddy, 1800s

Edo Japanese

Seto Ware Tea Caddy, 1615 - 1858

Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III)

The dandy (wakashu) Kosho Kichiza (Kasho Kichiza), 1843-1847

Okumura Masanobu

Falcon tethered to perch, 1710's

Kitagawa Utamaro II

Flower arrangement with sweet-flag iris and nuphar, ca. 1810?

Rintei

Camellias and tea-utensil box (Seika: Tsubaki to chabako), 1820's

Keisai Eisen

Beauties of the Floating World as Three Musical Instruments (Ukiyo bijin mitate sankyoku), 1820's

Ōhi Chozaemon V

Raku Ware Tea Bowl, early 1800s

Kitagawa Utamaro

Shells (Kaigara), ca. 1788

Utagawa Hiroshige

Iris Garden at Horikiri in the Eastern Capital (Toto horikiri hana shobu), 1857

Japanese, Kyoto

Water Jar, 1600s

Utagawa Kunisada II

Temporary quarters of the New Yoshiwara: Courtesans patronized by Owariya Hikotaro viewing cherry blossoms (Shin Yoshiwara kataku: Owariya Hikotaro kakae yujo hanami zu), 1863.2

Ryuryukyo Shinsai

Turtle Netsuke and Cloth, 1822

Utagawa Hiroshige

Hawk, Tree Sparrow, and Cream Narcissus (Suisen ni taka to suzume), 1830's

Japanese

Tea Caddy, 1900s

Japanese

Yatsushiro Ware Tea Bowl, 1800s

Kitagawa Utamaro II

Flower arrangement with gentian (autumn bellflower), ca. 1810?

Suzuki Harunobu

The Kagura Month [11th month] (Kagurazuki), ca. 1767

Kitagawa Utamaro II

Flower arrangement with loquat, mid 1700s-early 1800s

Torii Kiyonaga

The beloved wife: chapter 10[man playing Sugeroku in a teahouse] (Koi nyobo judanme), ca. 1789

Ippitsusai Bunro

Young man and woman with falcons (Danjo to taka), 1800-1810

More objects +

Exhibition Checklist

Samurai At Leisure

November 26, 2019 - May 24, 2020
View Checklist PDF

RISD Museum

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