Viewing Maple Leaves (Momijigari), from the series "Dance Customs of Captivating Figures (Adesugata odori fuzoku)"
- Date:
- c. 1772/80
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print; aiban
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Viewing Maple Leaves (Momijigari), from the series Dance Customs of Captivating Figures (Adesugata odori fuzoku), is an [aiban](/glossary/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](/glossary/ukiyo-e) it became a standard subject for elegant figure prints. The aiban format, a sheet size between [chuban](/glossary/chuban) and oban, allowed Shigemasa to give his figure greater presence than the older narrow [hosoban](/glossary/hosoban) while keeping production costs moderate. The series exemplifies the calmly observed, full-length [bijin-ga](/glossary/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.
early 1760s
Color woodblock print; hosoban, mizu-e
c. 1774
Color woodblock print; koban
c. 1769
Color woodblock print; hosoban
c. 1769
Color woodblock print; hosoban
Noka no aki (Miyagi ken Ayashi
1946
Color woodblock print
Woodblock print
1950
Color woodblock print
Autumn 1920
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Viewing Maple Leaves (Momijigari), from the series "Dance Customs of Captivating Figures (Adesugata odori fuzoku)" was created by Kitao Shigemasa (北尾重政) in c. 1772/80.
Viewing Maple Leaves (Momijigari), from the series "Dance Customs of Captivating Figures (Adesugata odori fuzoku)" depicts autumn foliage.