Rain of the Fifth Month (Samidare)

19th century

Not on view

Kunisada's vision of an early summer scene, luxuriant in the soft rain of the fifth month, reflects a new sensibility for landscape among late Edo artists. The unhurried pleasures of a warm summer day seem heightened by the soft rain, which hardly affects the activities of the travelers, fisherman, and groom. A bright light infuses the atmosphere and is enhanced by the unusual use of blue pigment for the evenly spaced, vertical lines of rain.

Utagawa Kunisada, known as Toyokuni III, designed more prints for the mass market than any other artist of his time.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Rain of the Fifth Month (Samidare)
Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (Japanese, 1786–1864)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: 19th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions: H. 9 3/8 in. (23.8 cm); W. 14 3/8 in. (36.5 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Henry L. Phillips Collection, Bequest of Henry L. Phillips, 1939
Object Number: JP2864
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

By Utagawa Kunisada

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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Actor as Tokihira, Utagawa Kunisada Japanese, Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper, Japan — Actor as Tokihira
Utagawa Kunisada
probably 1815

Kabuki Actor in a Female Role Standing with a Fan, Utagawa Kunisada Japanese, Part of an album of woodblock prints (surimono); ink and color on paper, Japan — Kabuki Actor in a Female Role Standing with a Fan
Utagawa Kunisada
19th century

Landscape in the Mist, Utagawa Kunisada Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — Landscape in the Mist
Utagawa Kunisada
mid-19th century

Ochanomizu in the Mist, Utagawa Kunisada Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — Ochanomizu in the Mist
Utagawa Kunisada
mid-19th century

Seishu Awabi-tori no Zu, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — Seishu Awabi-tori no Zu
Utagawa Kunisada
ca. 1840

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