Floor plan

North wing: East AsiaThe Floating World

The Floating World

Scene from a Play, by Katsukawa Shunjō, ca. 1780
Yōrō Waterfall in Mino Province (Mino no Yōrō no taki), from the series A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces (Shokoku taki meguri), by Katsushika Hokusai, ca. 1832
The Gossips, by Suzuki Harunobu, ca. 1767
A work made of page from a color woodblock-printed volume.
A work made of color woodblock print; oban triptych.

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Japanese woodblock prints of the floating world: actors, courtesans, landscapes and the sea.

Section 1, north wall

  1. Scene from a Play, by Katsukawa Shunjō, ca. 1780
    Scene from a PlayKatsukawa Shunjō, ca. 1780Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Yōrō Waterfall in Mino Province (Mino no Yōrō no taki), from the series A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces (Shokoku taki meguri), by Katsushika Hokusai, ca. 1832
    Yōrō Waterfall in Mino Province (Mino no Yōrō no taki), from the series A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces (Shokoku taki meguri)Katsushika Hokusai, ca. 1832Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. The Gossips, by Suzuki Harunobu, ca. 1767
    The GossipsSuzuki Harunobu, ca. 1767Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 1, south wall

  1. A work made of page from a color woodblock-printed volume.
    The Poetess Shunzei no Musume, from the series The Thirty-six Immortal Women Poets (Nishikizuri onna sanjurokkasen)Chôbunsai Eishi, Edo period (1615–1868), 1801Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. A work made of color woodblock print; oban triptych.
    Eight Modern Views of Famous Places in Tokyo of Great Japan (Dai Nippon Tokyo kaika meisho hakkei no zu)Utagawa Kunisada II (Kunimasa III, Toyokuni IV), 1875Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 2, south wall

  1. A work made of color woodblock print; oban.
    The actor Osagawa Tsuneyo II as Osan, Ippei’s elder sisterTōshūsai Sharaku, 1794Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. A work made of color woodblock print; oban.
    Lake Suwa in Shinano Province (Shinshu Suwako), from the series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei)"Katsushika Hokusai, c. 1830/33Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Foreign Family with Wife Making Clothes (Gaikokujin ifuku shitate no zu), by Utagawa Yoshikazu, 1860
    Foreign Family with Wife Making Clothes (Gaikokujin ifuku shitate no zu)Utagawa Yoshikazu, 1860Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 2, north wall

  1. A work made of color woodblock print; oban triptych.
    Young man and his party crossing a stream before Mt. FujiKitagawa Utamaro, c. 1798/1800Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Screen and Utensils for the Incense Ceremony, by Kubo Shunman, 19th century
    Screen and Utensils for the Incense CeremonyKubo Shunman, 19th centuryCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 3, north wall

  1. “Hanamurasaki of the Tamaya,” from the series Seven Komachi of the Pleasure Quarters (Seirō Nana Komachi), by Kitagawa Utamaro, ca. 1790
    “Hanamurasaki of the Tamaya,” from the series Seven Komachi of the Pleasure Quarters (Seirō Nana Komachi)Kitagawa Utamaro, ca. 1790Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. The Actor Morita Kanya VIII as Tatsugorō, by Katsukawa Shun'ei, 1794 (Kansei 6)
    The Actor Morita Kanya VIII as TatsugorōKatsukawa Shun'ei, 1794 (Kansei 6)Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. A work made of color woodblock print, oban triptych.
    Sei Shonagon, from the series Ancient Patterns (Kodai moyo)Kobayashi Kiyochika, Meiji period (1896–1912), 1896Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 3, south wall

  1. Plate from the Erotic Book Mounds of Dyed Colors: A Pattern Book for the Boudoir (Someiro no yama neya no hinagata), First Month, by Okumura Masanobu, ca. 1736–44
    Plate from the Erotic Book Mounds of Dyed Colors: A Pattern Book for the Boudoir (Someiro no yama neya no hinagata), First MonthOkumura Masanobu, ca. 1736–44Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. A work made of color woodblock print; vertical oban diptych.
    Image of a Japanese Woman (Fujo Yamato sugata)Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni III), c. 1830/35Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. France (furansukoku), by Utagawa Yoshitora, 2nd month, 1865
    France (furansukoku)Utagawa Yoshitora, 2nd month, 1865Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art