Kodomo Mando, Kojimachi 1,2, 3-chome, Sanno Go-sairei|Childrens' Lantern Float, Kojimachi 1,2, 3-chome Block Association, Sanno Festival
ca. 1780
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H. 10 1/4 in. (26 cm); W. 7 1/2 in. (19.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Estate of Samuel Isham, 1914
Accession Number
JP927
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Torii Kiyonaga's *Kodomo Mando, Kojimachi 1,2,3-chome, Sanno Go-sairei* (Children's Lantern Float, Kojim 1,2,3-chome Block Association Sanno Festival), created around 1780, captures a joyful moment from one of Edo-period Tokyo's most vibrant celebrations. This intimate woodblock print, measuring just 10¼ × 7½ inches, neighborhood children proudly carrying a lantern float—likely boat-shaped, as suggested by the scene's tags—accompanied by women in the Kojimachi district's procession. Kiyonaga, a leading figure in the Torii school of ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world), excelled at depicting everyday life with graceful figures and lively energy. The Sanno Festival, or Sanno Gosai-rei, was a grand Shinto event honoring the deity at Sanno Shrine, featuring elaborate parades of mikoshi (portable shrines) and community floats from local blocks. These neighborhood associations fostered social bonds in bustling Edo (modern Tokyo), and children's participation highlighted the festival's inclusive spirit, blending reverence with festivity during the prosperous Edo period (1615–1868). Kiyonaga's mastery shines in the ukiyo-e technique: intricate woodblocks carved by specialists, inked, and hand-colored on paper to produce affordable, vibrant art for urban audiences. His fluid lines and harmonious compositions evoke the thrill of the procession, making this print a window into 18th-century Japanese street life and cultural devotion.
About the Artist
Torii Kiyonaga · 1752–1815
Torii Kiyonaga, born Sekiguchi Shinsuke in 1752 in Uraga, Sagami Province, was the son of an Edo bookseller who owned tenements near a bustling fish market. At age 14 in 1765, he began his apprenticeship under Torii Kiyomitsu, the third-generation head of the prestigious Torii school of ukiyo-e, renowned for kabuki theater illustrations and signage. Adopted into the Torii family, Kiyonaga succeede...