山姥と金太郎|Yamauba and Kintarō Playing with a Cherry
ca. 1795
Medium
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H. 15 1/16 in. (38.3 cm); W. 9 7/8 in. (25.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1922
Accession Number
JP1438
Tags
Art Historical Context
In this vibrant woodblock print from around 1795, Kitagawa Utamaro captures a tender moment between the mountain ogress Yamauba and the legendary boy Kintarō, as they playfully share a cherry. Utamaro, a master of ukiyo-e—the "pictures of the floating world" that celebrated everyday beauty and folklore during Japan's Edo period (1615–1868)—is renowned for his exquisite portraits of women. Here, he extends his genius to a whimsical scene blending myth and maternal warmth humanizing the fearsome Yamauba, who in Japanese folklore raised the superhuman Kintarō amid wild mountains. The print's nis...
About the Artist
Kitagawa Utamaro 喜多川歌麿 (Japanese) · 1754 –1806
Japanese, ca. 1754–1806