A Contest of Elegant Ladies among the Cherry Blossoms (Kaika kifujin kisoi)

September 1887

Not on view

This print shows the emperor, empress, prince, and ladies of the court enjoying the cherry blossoms at a Western-style building in the precinct of Ueno Park, in Tokyo. The women wear elaborate French-style day dresses with cinched waists, high collars, and layers of heavy fabric over their bustles. Themes in prints changed dramatically with the modernization of Tokyo, with new subjects ranging from people dancing in Western clothing to new advances in architecture in Ueno Park.

Artwork Details

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Exhibition History

楊洲周延画　『開花貴婦人競』
Title: A Contest of Elegant Ladies among the Cherry Blossoms (Kaika kifujin kisoi)
Artist: Yōshū (Hashimoto) Chikanobu (Japanese, 1838–1912)
Period: Meiji period (1868–1912)
Date: September 1887
Culture: Japan
Medium: Triptych of woodblock prints (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions: Image: 14 5/8 x 29 1/8 in. (37.1 x 74 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of Lincoln Kirstein, 1959
Object Number: JP3343
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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Chiyoda Castle (Album of Women), Yōshū (Hashimoto) Chikanobu Japanese, Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper, Japan — Chiyoda Castle (Album of Women)
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The Inner Palace of Chiyoda (Chiyoda no Ōoku), Yōshū (Hashimoto) Chikanobu Japanese, Diptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper, Japan — The Inner Palace of Chiyoda (Chiyoda no Ōoku)
Yōshū (Hashimoto) Chikanobu
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