A sheet from a shunga album
Hishikawa Moronobu
1680s
Medium
Woodblock print; sumizuri-e
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
130212
About the Artist
Hishikawa Moronobu
Hishikawa Moronobu (1618–1694) holds an unassailable position in Japanese art history as the founder of ukiyo-e, the 'pictures of the floating world' that would become Japan's most internationally recognized art form. Born in the provincial town of Yasuda during the early Edo period, Moronobu transformed woodblock printing from a purely utilitarian craft into an independent artistic medium, establ...