Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Women Grating Radish for Sashimi

ca. 1798–99
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 231
A mother wipes a cup as her daughter grates white radish (daikon) to accompany a platter of sashimi. The shimmering mica applied to the skin of the fish suggests that the species is bonito, an essential fish in Japanese cuisine. This is likely the prized early catch. In the Edo period, one popular saying indicated that a buyer cried twice when purchasing the first bonito catch of the year: first when they paid the extremely high price and a second time when the mustard seasoning hit their nose. The pink sashimi, carefully arranged on a blue-and-white porcelain dish atop a red lacquer tray, appears remarkably fresh, and the image of the grated daikon evokes its sharp, appetizing flavor. While Utamaro was celebrated for his bijinga (pictures of beautiful women), he took to depicting everyday subjects under the strict artistic restrictions of the Kansei Reforms (1787–93).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 喜多川歌麿画　刺身を作る母娘
  • Title: Women Grating Radish for Sashimi
  • Artist: Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, ca. 1754–1806)
  • Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
  • Date: ca. 1798–99
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
  • Dimensions: 15 x 10 in. (38.1 x 25.4 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1919
  • Object Number: JP1122
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
Foot-Soldier with a Spear and Hawk-Handler (Yari-mochi yakko to taka shō), from the series Souvenir Paintings from Ōtsu, Stocked in Edo (Edo Shi-ire Ōtsu Miyage), Kitagawa Utamaro Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan
Foot-Soldier with a Spear and Hawk-Handler (Yari-mochi yakko to taka shō), from the series Souvenir Paintings from Ōtsu, Stocked in Edo (Edo Shi-ire Ōtsu Miyage)
Kitagawa Utamaro
ca. 1802–3
Armor (<i>Gusoku</i>), Saotome Ietada Japanese, Iron, lacquer, silk, gilt copper, Japanese
Armor (Gusoku)
Armorer Helmet bowl signed Saotome Ietada
Armorer Breastplate inscribed inside, Myōchin Munesuke
16th and 18th centuries
Night Rain at the Double-Shelf Stand, from the series Eight Parlor Views (Zashiki hakkei), Suzuki Harunobu Japanese, Woodblock print (first edition); ink and colors on paper, medium-sized print (chuban), Japan
Night Rain at the Double-Shelf Stand, from the series Eight Parlor Views (Zashiki hakkei)
Suzuki Harunobu
ca. 1766
Sake Bottle (Tokkuri) in the Shape of an Eggplant, Stoneware with iridescent iron glaze and rice straw ash (Bairin ware), Japan
Sake Bottle (Tokkuri) in the Shape of an Eggplant
Japan
second half 19th century
Kiyomizu Komachi, from the series Futabagusa nana Komachi, Kitagawa Utamaro Japanese, Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper, Japan
Kiyomizu Komachi, from the series Futabagusa nana Komachi
Kitagawa Utamaro
1790s

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.