Artwork preview

A Boat upon the Waters

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

A boat on water appears in the top right corner of a cream-colored background with Japanese writing and a tree; a blue and white patterned rectangle with orange rectangle containing Japanese writing is on the right side. The main scene depicts a woman wearing a blue kimono with a patterned obi, her hair pulled back into a bun; she holds a blue object with a white cord and her right leg is kicked back behind her, appearing to kick a man. The man wears a black kimono and kneels on the left, on a brown tiled floor, appearing to hold a sword with a blue scabbard; he looks up at the woman. The background shows blue sky meeting blue water and a brown structure on the left, with several lines of Japanese writing scattered throughout the image.

Artwork details

Date:
ca. 1845–46
Medium:
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Culture:
Japan
Dimensions:
444 × 625 px
Museum record:
View original
Palette