Steam (Yuge)
- Date:
- 1929
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Dimensions:
- 47.3 × 30.7 cm
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Edition:
- Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
A woman bends forward and steam (yuge) rises from the bath water before her, the warmth rendered through soft atmospheric gradations. The 1929 Steam print captures a moment of private bathing — the body surrounded by rising vapor, the skin warm and exposed. Kotondo treats this nude subject with the same restraint and attentiveness he brought to his clothed bijin-ga, the steam providing a natural veil that preserves the intimacy of the moment. This color woodblock version preserves his original design.
More Prints by Torii Kotondo
More Nude Prints
Tsuta Hot Springs in Mutsu Province (Mutsu Tsuta onsen), from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, First Series (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Mutsu Tsuta onsen
1919
Color woodblock print; oban
Namari Spa, Iwate Prefecture (Iwate ken Namari onsen)
1943
Color woodblock print
Autumn at the Arayu Hot Spring, Shiobara
Autumn 1920
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Arifuku Spa, Iwami, from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series" (Tabi miyage dai sanshu, Iwami Arifuku onsen)
1924
Color woodblock print
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Steam (Yuge) was created by Torii Kotondo (鳥居言人) in 1929.
Steam (Yuge) was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1929).
Steam (Yuge) depicts nude, bijin-ga, and daily life.
Steam (Yuge) measures 47.3 × 30.7 cm (Oban format).