Activities of Twelve Months of the Year (Tsukinami-e)

Activities of Twelve Months of the Year (Tsukinami-e)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Tsukinami-e (literally, "pictures of months in sequence") illustrate the typical activities and festivals that take place throughout the year. Beginning in the tenth century, the subject became an event most important for secular painting in Japan, and it remained popular among the members of all schools of painting through the Edo period. This album by an anonymous artist depicts the monthly events integral to the lives of Kyoto citizens.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Activities of Twelve Months of the Year (Tsukinami-e)Activities of Twelve Months of the Year (Tsukinami-e)Activities of Twelve Months of the Year (Tsukinami-e)Activities of Twelve Months of the Year (Tsukinami-e)Activities of Twelve Months of the Year (Tsukinami-e)

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.