women; kimonos; flowers (plants); trees; Single Built Works
Within the Edo Castle inner compound was a garden area that was designed to resemble a quiet mountainous region, with rustic teahouses / ochaya where the women of the Inner Palace could relax as if in a country village. Two such thatched roof...
In the 3rd month of the year, special tea ceremonies were held in the Inner Palace when guests and hosts played sophisticated games, such as guessing which types of tea were being served, or exchanged roles. In mawaribana guests took turns...
On the 7th day of the new year, the shogun presented the Inner Palace with large cakes of pounded rice / mochi. Making and eating mochi is still a popular new year's celebration, with small mochi cakes in a vegetable stew / ozoni being a popular...
Six women in the foreground are guards, uniformly dressed in thick black robes and protective headgear. They are responsible for protecting the Ooku evacuees whenever there is a fire or other disturbance. Several carry halberds / naginata sparks,...
Martial arts was certainly expected of the men in samurai families, but women drawn from those families to the shogun's Inner Palace would also be familiar with handling weapons. During the Edo Period, use of the halberd / naginata was particularly...
On the first morning of the new year, a special spiced wine or otosu is drunk before breakfast and thought to bring good health throughout the coming year. Usually the youngest member of the family or group is served first, and in Chikanobu's...
actors; built works; trees; men (male humans); kimonos; hats; hair ornaments; flowers; arrows; bells (idiophones); swords
Actors gather outside the main hall of the Ooku residential area to give a special performance for the new year on the first "horse day" of the 2nd month (according to the zodiac calendar). One actor carries a hunting bird while another actor is...
In a variation on the "Cat Monster of Saga" story, (see plates 34-35 for description of the kabuki play), the mother of Ryuzoji Matahichiro appears to be threatened by Nabeshima Naoshige (1538-1618), who took control of Saga Castle and its domain...
Girls' Day (Hinamatsuri, also known as the Doll Festival) is an annual spring celebration where various ornamental dolls representing the Emperor, Empress, their attendants, ministers, musicians, and furniture are displayed on a stepped platform...
Moonlight gives a soft pink glow to the cherry blossoms and falling petals. The woman at center carries a woven bamboo lantern that also shines up into the tree limbs. The breeze that caused a cascade of petals has also touched her sleeves to sway,...
Four women and a girl sit under a canopy in a boat while a sixth woman stands in the bow. The boat passes under a crag upon which a flowering cherry tree grows. Two egrets fly in the background. This triptych print is part of a series of 40 scenes...
Meiji period color woodblock triptych print of a group of women playing a badminton game. Part of a series of 40 scenes inside the women's quarters of the shogun's palace in Edo.
Meiji period color woodblock triptych print of a group of women having tea. Part of a series of 40 scenes inside the women's quarters of the shogun's palace in Edo.
Meiji period color woodblock triptych print of a group of women putting unknown objects into boxes (one woman in each panel). Part of a series of 40 scenes inside the women's quarters of the shogun's palace in Edo.
Three women admire blooming irises from an outdoor porch or pavilion surrounded by a low railing. Two tasseled lanterns hang from the roof beams, and a trio of swallows flit through the air in the background.
Meiji period color woodblock triptych print depicting seven women in a room engaged in a poetry composition contest. Three of the women sit before writing tables, brushes in hand, writing poems on narrow strips of paper; a elderly woman sits with...
Meiji period color woodblock diptych print depicting calligraphy displayed on water, with flowers and trees in the background. The title page for a series of 40 scenes inside the women's quarters of the shogun's palace in Edo.
Meiji period color woodblock triptych print depicting a man laying down seed (left panel) while a woman stands nearby with more seeds (middle panel). Two additional women are shown in the right panel. Part of a series of 40 scenes inside the...
card games (physical activities); kimonos; women; girls; hairstyles; elderly; eyeglasses
Meiji period color woodblock triptych print depicting three women playing cards, wearing elaborate kimonos. A servant and a young girl are also in the scene. Part of a series of 40 scenes inside the women's quarters of the shogun's palace in Edo.
A kneeling woman lifts a heavy padded cloth. She wears a gray kimono patterned with flying birds, grasses and a river and underneath this three white under robes, which show at the front and back openings of her long sleeves. Her orange obi is...
