Viewing Maple Leaves (Momijigari), from the series "Dance Customs of Captivating Figures (Adesugata odori fuzoku)"

Viewing Maple Leaves (Momijigari), from the series Dance Customs of Captivating Figures (Adesugata odori fuzoku), is an aiban color woodblock print dating to about 1772/80, held by the Art Institute of Chicago. The series, sometimes translated as Beautiful Dance Customs, picture stylish women performing or dressed for the seasonal popular dances of Edo. Momijigari (maple viewing) was a celebrated noh play and seasonal pastime in which the autumn leaves were the setting for poetic encounter, and in ukiyo-e it became a standard subject for elegant figure prints. The aiban format, a sheet size between chuban and oban, allowed Shigemasa to give his figure greater presence than the older narrow hosoban while keeping production costs moderate. The series exemplifies the calmly observed, full-length bijin-ga that made Shigemasa's reputation in the 1770s and that prepared the ground for Kiyonaga's larger compositions. The Art Institute of Chicago's holdings of Shigemasa's bijin-ga series sheets - including both Adesugata odori fuzoku and the Eight Parodies - rank among the most significant records of his mature work outside Japan.