July — 其七 海水浴

"July" (其七 海水浴 — "the seventh, sea bathing") from 1898 depicts the July practice of kaisuiyoku (sea bathing), the newly fashionable Meiji-era leisure activity that brought women and children to coastal resorts for ocean swimming. This July entry in what appears to be a monthly series connects the peak summer month with its characteristic outdoor recreation, the sea bathing scene becoming the emblem of July's specific pleasures. Shuntei renders the beach scene with the combination of social observation and seasonal awareness that characterized his best genre work.