Children Playing in Summer

Children Playing in Summer (Natsu no kodomo asobi), printed around 1906, captures the energy of young children at play during the hottest season. The color woodblock shows figures engaged in summer activities, their light clothing and bare skin appropriate to the heat. Shoun frequently depicted children at play, and these summer scenes carry a particular liveliness, the season's long days and warm temperatures allowing for outdoor games that colder months prohibit. The tagged association with music suggests the children may be playing instruments or singing, adding an auditory dimension to a visual medium and reminding viewers that childhood play is as much about sound as motion.