Toyohara Kunichika
Japanese (1835 – 1900) Primary

Ohatsu Holding A Sandal, from the Series Zenaku sanjuroku bijin (Thirty-Six Good and Evil Beauties)

Meiji
1876

Sheet
14 5/8 x 9 3/4 in. (37.148 x 24.765 cm)

This object has the following keywords:

• bokashi - A gradation technique used in woodblock printmaking, particularly as mastered by Japanese printmakers. Bokashi is notable in the work of Hokusai and Hiroshige, and is used most frequently in depicting the sky or water and to heighten the illusioni of space. There are multiple variations of the technique.
• kimonos - Loose, wide-sleeved garments fastened around the waist with an obi or broad sash, traditionally worn by Japanese men and women.
• oban - Japanese prints of a standard size about 15 3/4 by 10 1/2 inches.
• obis - Sashes of varying widths and sometimes stiffened, tied around the waist in intricate patterns of bows and knots usually at the back, but also in front, worn over a kimono; also, similar sashes worn for fashionable dress.
• sandals - Shoes consisting essentially of a sole fastened to the foot by straps, strips, or cords.
• Ukiyo-e - Distinctive genre in painting and other media, but most prominently in woodblock printing. It arose in the Edo period (1600-1868) and built up a broad popular market among the middle classes. Subject matter typically focused on brothel districts and kabuki theatres, with formats ranging from single sheet prints to book illustrations. Generally, the style is characterized by a mixture of the realistic narrative of the Kamakura period and the mature decorative style of the Momoyama and Edo periods. Distinctive styles and specialties in subject matter were developed by different schools throughout the period.
• woodcuts - Prints made using the process of woodcut, which is a relief process in which the design is cut into and printed from the plank side of a wood block; distinct from "wood engraving (process)," which is a relief process using the grain end of a wood block.