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The Floating World

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

172 works · hang 750 ·

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.
    Three Beauties of Our Time (Tosei san bijin)Chokosai Eisho, n.d.Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. A work made of color woodblock print; chuban.
    Giving a Light by the Garyubai Plum TreeSuzuki Harunobu, c. 1767/68Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Tobacco Pouch and Pipe, by Kubo Shunman, 1813
    Tobacco Pouch and PipeKubo Shunman, 1813Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 1, south wall

  1. A work made of color woodblock print with metallic pigments; surimono shikishiban.
    Woman About to Write a PoemYashima Gakutei, c. 1824Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Vehicles on the Streets of Tokyo, by Utagawa Yoshitora, 1870
    Vehicles on the Streets of TokyoUtagawa Yoshitora, 1870Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 2, 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. The Actor Ishikawa Danjuro V Performing a Shibaroku Act with a Drawn Sword in His Hand, by Katsukawa Shunshō, ca. 1781
    The Actor Ishikawa Danjuro V Performing a Shibaroku Act with a Drawn Sword in His HandKatsukawa Shunshō, ca. 1781Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji: The Surface of Lake Misaka in Kai Province, by Katsushika Hokusai, early 1830s
    Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji: The Surface of Lake Misaka in Kai ProvinceKatsushika Hokusai, early 1830sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Section 2, north wall

  1. A work made of color woodblock print; chuban.
    Delaying the announcement of dawnSuzuki Harunobu, c. 1767/68Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. “Hour of the Rat: Mistress,” from the series Women’s Daily Customs (Fuzoku bijin tokei), by Kitagawa Utamaro, 1790
    “Hour of the Rat: Mistress,” from the series Women’s Daily Customs (Fuzoku bijin tokei)Kitagawa Utamaro, 1790Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. A work made of color woodblock print; chuban.
    A Spring OutingSuzuki Harunobu, c. 1768Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 3, north wall

  1. A work made of color woodblock print; oban triptych.
    Iris GardenKatsukawa Shunchô, c. 1781/89Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. 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
  3. French Woman and Girl, from the series Foreign Merchants in Yokohama (Yokohama shōka ijin no zu), by Utagawa (Gountei) Sadahide, 1st month, 1861
    French Woman and Girl, from the series Foreign Merchants in Yokohama (Yokohama shōka ijin no zu)Utagawa (Gountei) Sadahide, 1st month, 1861Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 3, south wall

  1. Xu You and Chao Fu, by Okumura Masanobu, 18th century
    Xu You and Chao FuOkumura Masanobu, 18th centuryCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Ōtsu, from the series The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road (Tōkaidō gojūsan tsugi, Ōtsu), 1847–52
    Ōtsu, from the series The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road (Tōkaidō gojūsan tsugi, Ōtsu)Unrecorded Japanese maker, 1847–52Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art