Wakato
- Date:
- 1864, 7th lunar month
- Medium:
- Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
- Format:
- Oban
- Dimensions:
- 35.6 × 24.3 cm
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
Description
A bijin print from the seventh lunar month of 1864 depicting a woman named Wakato, part of the seasonal series of female portraits that Kyosai produced alongside companion images of Oroku, Osome, Somekawa, Takaragi, and others. The nishiki-e format — multiple-block color printing at its most refined — allows Kyosai to achieve the subtle gradations of fabric pattern and skin tone that distinguish these early bijin prints. The seventh-month timing connects the series to the Tanabata festival, giving the women depicted an association with the romantic star-crossing legend.
More Prints by Kawanabe Kyosai
Tenpôzan in Osaka: Viewing Children's Sumo (Naniwa Tenpôzan kodomo sumô shôran), from the series Scenes of Famous Places along the Tôkaidô Road (Tôkaidô meisho fûkei), also known as the Processional Tôkaidô (Gyôretsu Tôkaidô), here called Tôkaidô
1863
Woodblock print
Kyosai, Royal Academy, London, FREE DOMESTIC SHIPPING
2022
Original Museum Lithographic Exhibition Poster
from the series One Hundred Pictures by Kyôsai (Kyôsai hyakuzu)
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Old Picture of the Rashômon Gate (Rashômon no ko zu), from the series Scenes of Famous Places along the Tôkaidô Road (Tôkaidô meisho fûkei), also known as the Processional Tôkaidô (Gyôretsu Tôkaidô), here called Tôkaidô meisho tsuzuki
Woodblock print
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Frequently Asked Questions
Wakato was created by Kawanabe Kyosai (河鍋暁斎) in 1864, 7th lunar month.
Wakato depicts figures, bijin-ga, and portraits.
Wakato measures 35.6 × 24.3 cm (Oban format).