Onna Imagawa|Precepts for Women

Katsushika Hokusai

ca. 1820s · Book of polychrome woodblock prints; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

Onna Imagawa, written by Sawada Kichi, was first published in 1700. The book went through many editions, a number of which were illustrated. Hokusai avoided direct illustration of the text, but he did create images representing the greatest feminine virtues. Here, a woman relaxes after a summer bath on her veranda while a scholarly gentleman peeks at her through a gap in the fence. Stylistically, the print seems to date to the artist's Iitsu period (ca. 1820–33), but the only dated edition refers to the year 1844.

Artist

Katsushika Hokusai

Date

ca. 1820s

Medium

Book of polychrome woodblock prints; ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1918