Ama dressing her hair on a beach

Medium:: Woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Source:: Art of Japan

Typical Price

Uncommon subject or exceptional impression: $2,000–$8,000
Good condition standard print: $500–$2,000
Later impression or common subject: $200–$600

Description

Ama — female divers who harvested abalone, seaweed, and shellfish — were a frequent subject in ukiyo-e for their association with the sea, physical freedom, and a semi-mythological femininity. This print shows a diver on the beach tending to her hair after emerging from the water, a quiet moment of everyday ritual in a demanding life. Kuniyoshi's treatment of the ama likely emphasizes her physical vitality against an open coastal setting, the sea wind implied in loose hair and wet cloth.

More Prints by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Yan Qing (Roshi Ensei), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)"

Poem by Abe no Nakamaro, from an untitled series of One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets

Hu Sanniang (Ko Sanjo Ichijosei), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)"

Miya, Kuwana, Yokkaichi, and Ishiyakushi, from the series "Famous Places on the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido, Four Stations (Tokaido gojusan eki yonshuku meisho)"

More Seascapes Prints

Child of the Sea

1940

Woodblock print

The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"

1934

Color woodblock print; oban

Pacific Ocean, Awa Province (Boshu Taikai), from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series (Tabi miyage dai sanshu)"

Boshu Taikai

1925

Color woodblock print; oban

Pine Beach at Miho (Miho no Matsubara), from the series "Selection of Views of the Tokaido (Tokaido fukei senshu)"

September 1931

Color woodblock print; oban

Frequently Asked Questions

Ama dressing her hair on a beach was created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳).

Ama dressing her hair on a beach depicts seascapes.