A Contest of Elegant Ladies among the Cherry Blossoms (Kaika kifujin kisoi)

Yōshū (Hashimoto) Chikanobu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This print shows the emperor, empress, prince, and ladies of the court enjoying the cherry blossoms at a Western-style building in the precinct of Ueno Park, in Tokyo. The women wear elaborate French-style day dresses with cinched waists, high collars, and layers of heavy fabric over their bustles. Themes in prints changed dramatically with the modernization of Tokyo, with new subjects ranging from people dancing in Western clothing to new advances in architecture in Ueno Park.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art