The Fifth Month (Satsuki), from the series "Fashionable Twelve Seasons (Furyu juni kiko)" c. 1779

Torii Kiyonaga made this color woodblock print, "The Fifth Month," as part of a series called "Fashionable Twelve Months," sometime in the late 18th century. Here we see figures enacting everyday scenes against a backdrop of seasonal markers, such as the tall grasses indicating early summer. During this period, Japanese printmakers played with representing contemporary life, but also with referencing classical traditions. Kiyonaga's work updates established figure types and motifs for a consumer culture of urbanites. Kiyonaga worked within the Torii school of printmaking, which had close ties to the Kabuki theater. His images are marked by a certain theatricality in their exaggerated poses. But this print also participates in a longer history of representing women, fashion, and leisure. By studying the print collections and illustrated books available in Kiyonaga’s time, and tracing the circulation of these images, we can better understand the cultural values ​​and social rituals of his era. Art history enables us to interpret how artworks reflect and shape their specific social and institutional contexts.