Plum Garden at Kameido
On View In:
Gallery 239
Artist:   Hiroshige II Utagawa  
Title:   Plum Garden at Kameido  
Date:   1859-1862  
Medium:   Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper  
Dimensions:   13 3/8 x 8 7/8 in. (33.9 x 22.5 cm) (image, sheet)  
Credit Line:   Gift of Mrs. Elaine C. Norden in memory of her sister, Miss Esther M. Cleveland  
Location:   Gallery 239  

In the late 19th century, it became fashionable for women to wear haori, a type of jacket that derived from men's military coats. The geisha (music and dance entertainers) associated with the unlicensed pleasure quarter of Fukagawa in southeast Edo (Tokyo) were the first to adopt the manly haori as part of their fashion ensembles. These women, called tatsumi (meaning "southeast") geisha, were known for their tomboyish attitude and fashion sense. Entertainers in other districts and eventually ordinary women copied their progressive styles. By the late 19th century, women wearing fashionable haori could be seen throughout the city. In this print, the woman's haori and her scarf actually serve a practical purpose: protection from the cold. The blossoming plum tree in the background indicates that it is early spring when the temperatures in Japan can still be quite chilly.

Artist/Creator(s)     
Name:   Utagawa, Hiroshige II  
Nationality:   Japanese  
Life Dates:   Japanese, 1826 - 1869  
 

Object Description  
  
Inscriptions:    
Classification:   Prints  
Physical Description:   nishiki-e  
Creation Place:   Asia, Japan, , ,  
Accession #:   P.70.85  
Owner:   The Minneapolis Institute of Arts