women; kimonos; trees; men (male humans); bodies of water
The 9th century poet Ono no Komachi, according to legend, was asked by the emperor to pray for rain to end a drought. Dressed in court robes at a Shinto shrine, she reads her prayer; in response, lightning in the dawn sky indicates the rains will...
courtesans; trees; flowers (plants); women; children (people by age group); men (male humans); kimonos; Single Built Works; hairstyles; hair ornaments
An elegantly dressed Yoshiwara courtesan looks on while a little boy, held by his mother, ties a poem sheet to a blossoming branch. A servant peeks from behind a broken umbrella, and two men dance in the background.
Lord Nabeshima Naoshige (1538-1618), the military governor (daimyo) of Hizen Province, is being threatened by the Cat Monster of Saga, which is seeking revenge for the deaths of Ryuzoji Matahichiro and his mother. Killer cats have long been a...
men (male humans); women; kimonos; military uniforms; hats; swords; chandeliers; murals (any medium); interior spaces
A Meiji government official dressed in his Western style military uniform receives his cockaded hat from one female attendant while another holds his European style sword. The group stands in a Western style building, probably the home of this...
Lord Nabeshima Naoshige (1538-1618), the military governor (daimyo) of Hizen Province, is being threatened by the Cat Monster of Saga, which is seeking revenge for the deaths of Ryuzoji Matahichiro and his mother. Killer cats have long been a...
women; children (people by age group); kimonos; trees; shrines (structures); men (male humans)
A mother and daughter join others in a pilgrimage on New Year's Day to Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in the auspicious directions from where they live, in order to obtain good luck and prosperity in the coming year. The hall at left is...
processions; shamisen; musical instruments; women; kimonos; hats; men (male humans)
Two female shamisen players are standing near a warehouse building, while a daimyo procession goes by in the distance and two merchants walk into the middle ground. This painting on silk is delicately detailed, with tiny patterns on the kimono and...
On the second floor of a Western-style building, probably the famous Rokumeikan, Japanese couples appear to be taking dancing lessons, accompanied by two pianists. The young people seem awkward in movement and intent in their expressions,...
families; women; children (people by age group); Single Built Works; dwellings; kimonos; hats; suits
Print no. 4 of the "24 Paragons" shows at top the story of Min Ziqian (J: Binshiken) whose stepmother preferred his stepbrothers. When his father found out, the wife was ordered out of the house, but young Min begged his father to allow her to...
The 3 foreground figures appear to be enjoying an outing by Edo Bay, stopping near a rock outcropping and pine tree. Since these elegantly dressed women appear to be engaged in a conversation, it is uncertain what the kneeling woman is pointing out...
These two women are dressed in summer kimono with blue water patterns. The kneeling woman holds out an ornament with a straw dragon entwined around a pine branch, a symbol of the “sea god” / umi no kami associated with the worship of the Shinto...
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,...
group portrait; princes; women; kimonos; hairstyles; men (male humans); hair ornaments; flowers (plants); swords; toys (recreational artifacts); children (people by age group); banners; blinds (coverings); porches; carriages (vehicles)
The emperor appears at far left dressed in traditional court robes surrounded by his female attendants, some of whom are helping wheel a baby carriage and toy horses into the palace chamber. Being published in May 1878, this seems like a...
Part of a series of 40 prints of scenes set inside the women's quarters of the shogun's palace in Edo depicting the leisure activities of high-born women. Here two elegantly dressed women play backgammon. One of the women sits behind a screen; she...
women; children (people by age group); kimonos; hairstyles; trees; flowers (plants); sandals; shrines (structures)
The Shinto Shrine at Kameido is dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, also known as Kitano Tenjin, who had a great love of plum blossoms, so the grounds are noted for their early spring flowers (a branch of which juts into the composition and extends...
men (male humans); women; children (people by age group); hunting; kimonos
These 2 pictures seem to be only tangentially related. At top Tanzi is dressed in deer hide so he could sneak into a herd of deer to get milk for his ailing parents. However, when a hunter was about to shoot the deer, Tanzi revealed his identity,...
women; children (people by age group); boys; men (male humans); helmets; kimonos; spears (weapons); temples (structures); Built complexes and districts; girls
A boy is dressed like the Buddhist Guardian King Bishamonten, holding a trident and wooden pagoda (that represents the relics of the historical Buddha). The boy's mother holds a calico cat (a "tiger" symbol) while the family servant giggles and...
women; children (people by age group); men (male humans); swords; kimonos; costume; shoes (footwear); hairstyles
Choko and Chorei were two brothers who looked after their aged mother. One day Choko was bringing a cabbage home for their mother when he was set upon by robbers. Finding he had nothing to give them, they had decided to kill him but agreed to wait...
The 24 Paragons of Filial Piety depict the self-sacrificing behavior of twenty-four sons and daughters who when to extreme lengths to honor their parents, stepparents, grandparents, and in-laws.The upper panel depicts Kan no Buntei, second emperor...
The book entitled "The Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety" was written by the Chinese scholar Guo Jujing during the Yuan Dynasty. The book recounts the extremes to which twenty-four sons and daughters go to honor their elders. This type of print...
