A Young Man Standing before a Garden Fence 1753 - 1773

This woodblock print of a young man before a garden fence was made by Suzuki Harunobu in Japan, sometime before 1770. Prints like these, known as Ukiyo-e, or "pictures of the floating world," became popular among the merchant classes of the Edo period. These prints offered a glimpse into the refined, pleasurable life of Edo society, often depicting beautiful women, Kabuki actors, and scenes from daily life. But there were also institutional factors shaping artistic production. The Tokugawa shogunate, the military dictatorship that ruled Japan at the time, had a policy of strict social hierarchy and isolationism, which in turn fueled interest in this type of imagery. This print, with its delicate lines and soft colors, speaks to the longing for beauty and escape in a society that was highly regulated. As historians, we can use sources like diaries, literature, and government documents to understand the complex social and institutional context in which it was created.