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The Floating World

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

172 works · hang 6880 ·

The rooms are imagined; every work on their walls is real.

Walk this roomRehang this room

Section 1, north wall

  1. A work made of color woodblock print; oban.
    One Person, Six Expressions (Hitori rokumenso)Kobayashi Kiyochika, 1884Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Kabuki Actors Asao Yūjirō as Sano Genzaemon and Ichikawa Ebijūrō I as Miura Arajirō, in the play Keisei Sano no Funabashi, by Shunkōsai Hokushū, 1822
    Kabuki Actors Asao Yūjirō as Sano Genzaemon and Ichikawa Ebijūrō I as Miura Arajirō, in the play Keisei Sano no FunabashiShunkōsai Hokushū, 1822Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. Passengers in a Ferry Boat on the Sumida River, by Torii Kiyonaga, 1784
    Passengers in a Ferry Boat on the Sumida RiverTorii Kiyonaga, 1784Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Section 1, south wall

  1. Illustration of a Balloon Ascending (Fūsen shōyō no zu), by Utagawa Yoshitora, November, 1872
    Illustration of a Balloon Ascending (Fūsen shōyō no zu)Utagawa Yoshitora, November, 1872Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Passengers in a Ferry Boat on the Sumida River, by Torii Kiyonaga, 1784
    Passengers in a Ferry Boat on the Sumida RiverTorii Kiyonaga, 1784Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. A work made of color woodblock print; oban.
    Snowy Morning from Koishikawa (Koishikawa yuki no ashita), from the series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei)"Katsushika Hokusai, c. 1830/33Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 2, south wall

  1. A work made of color woodblock print; oban.
    The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro IV in a "Shibaraku" Role, Possibly from the Play Ima o Sakari Suehiro Genji (The Genji Clan Now at Its Zenith), Performed at the Nakamura Theater from the First Day of the Eleventh Month, 1768Katsukawa Shunshō, c. 1768Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Women Viewing Cherry Blossoms at Asukayama, by Katsukawa Shunchô, 1780s
    Women Viewing Cherry Blossoms at AsukayamaKatsukawa Shunchô, 1780sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. Foreign Business Establishment in Yokohama (Yokohama ijin shōkan shashin no zu), by Utagawa (Gountei) Sadahide, 1861
    Foreign Business Establishment in Yokohama (Yokohama ijin shōkan shashin no zu)Utagawa (Gountei) Sadahide, 1861Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 2, north wall

  1. A Courtesan, by Kitagawa Utamaro
    A CourtesanKitagawa UtamaroCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Morning Cherries at Yoshiwara, by Utagawa Hiroshige
    Morning Cherries at YoshiwaraUtagawa HiroshigeCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. A work made of woodblock print; sumizuri-e, kakemono-e.
    Standing BeautyKaigetsudo Anchi, About 1714Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 3, north wall

  1. A work made of color woodblock print; uchiwa-e.
    Morning Glories, Pinks, and Maiden Flower, from the series "Seven Autumn Flowers in Moonlight"Utagawa Hiroshige, 1830/44Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. A work made of hand-colored woodblock print; tan-e, vertical o-oban.
    Courtesan WalkingKaigetsudo Anchi, c. 1714Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 3, south wall

  1. A work made of color woodblock print; oban.
    The Ninth Month, from the series Five Amorous Festivals of Love (Aibore iro no gosekku)Kitagawa Utamaro, 1801Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. France (furansukoku), by Utagawa Yoshitora, 2nd month, 1865
    France (furansukoku)Utagawa Yoshitora, 2nd month, 1865Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art