Two Girls in a boat

A boating scene depicting two girls aboard a small craft, most likely a flat-bottomed pleasure boat of the kind used on the Sumida River, Shinobazu Pond, or similar Tokyo waterways during the Meiji era. Compositions of this type typically frame the figures against a low horizon, with water rendered through horizontal [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradations that fade from a darker foreground to a paler distance. The boat and any oars or poles are usually printed from a separate keyblock to keep their straight lines crisp against the patterned kimono of the passengers. The subject connects Shuntei's kodomo-e to his documented interest in Tokyo topography evident in the Tokyo Meisho Zue series, where boats and bridges figure as recurring motifs of urban leisure. Excursions on the water were a fashionable summer pastime for women and children in the period.